Fraud tip-off reports to social welfare fall by 3,300 — but 2,000 still lodged every month

The number of reports received by the Department of Social Protection’s fraud tip-off unit fell by more than 3,000 last year.

Figures to be published today by Minister Joan Burton show that last year the department’s Fraud Control Unit received 24,720 calls or other forms of correspondence — more than 2,000 a month on average.

However, that is down compared with the 28,022 contacts registered by the unit in 2012, a year in which the FCU — basedin Carrick-on-Shannon — witnessed a dramatic increase in would-be tip-offs, up 11,000 on the comparable figure for 2011.