1,000 social welfare fraud tip-offs a month

THE Department of Social Protection has been receiving more than 1,000 reports a month from the public on possible social welfare fraud.

New figures from the department show that last year it received 12,648 anonymous tip-offs either by phone, letter or, in the majority of cases, email.

That is almost double the figure for 2009. Figures for the first two months of this year show a similar level of reportage of potentially bogus claims, with 2,131 contacts made to the department’s Central Control Section.