Handyman had €98k in bank but got €80k on dole

A dole cheat with €98,000 in the bank received €80,410 in social welfare payments as a result of concealing his savings from the State.

At Ennis District Court yesterday, handyman Patrick Cass, of Moygalla, Sixmilebridge, Co Clare, pleaded guilty to five separate counts of making false statements to the Department of Social Protection between 2009 and 2013, by not disclosing that he had €98,000 in his bank account.

The scam was uncovered through a joint venture between the department and Revenue code-named Operation DIRT. State officers use data to uncover people paying large amounts of tax on their savings and cross-reference these bank accounts with those receiving means-tested jobseeker’s allowance.