Learn about COVID-19 fraud
The Australian Government is focused on safeguarding the COVID-19 economic stimulus measures from fraud and making sure help and support goes to those who need it.
Fraud will not be tolerated. In the current crisis, every dollar counts. Every dollar lost to fraud is a dollar that does not support our healthcare system or keeping an Australian in a job.
What we are doing to counter fraud against COVID-19 measures
The Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Centre is working closely with our partners across government, including the Australian Federal Police, to reduce fraud against COVID-19 measures. This includes:
- helping the Australian Government build strong countermeasures into policy, programs and system design to prevent and detect fraud against COVID-19 measures
- sharing information and intelligence across the Australian Government and internationally to detect and disrupt fraud
- supporting the Australian Government build in robust post-payment compliance and recovery processes.
The Australian Government is also actively detecting, investigating and disrupting fraud. Fraud is a criminal offence and is taken seriously. You can find out about recent fraud investigations and disruption by the Australian Federal Police on their website and Facebook page.
What the Australian Government is doing to safeguard COVID-19 measures against fraud
The Australian Government are also safeguarding COVID-19 measures against fraud by:
- getting expert advice from the Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Centre and the Australian Federal Police to assess their fraud risks
- assessing and mitigating fraud risks when designing and delivering programs
- implementing countermeasures to help prevent, detect and respond to fraud
- having central oversight over program processes and delivery
- using established processes and relationships, rather than setting up new ones
- confirming and authenticating the identity of those they are supporting
- checking that service providers are following the rules
- collecting and retaining clear records of claims and payments
- training staff to identify fraud and report it
- verifying information or evidence received to support claims
- sharing or matching information between Commonwealth, state, territory and local government
- collecting information to support proactive compliance and intelligence sharing
- coordinating and fast tracking the response to potential fraud
- conducting post payment assurance and compliance activities to recover fraud losses.
Resources to help entities counter fraud
The Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Centre and Australian Federal Police have also produced a range of factsheets, toolkits and reports to help the Australian Government safeguard measures against fraud. These include:
- a factsheet on Fraud Control in COVID-19 Emergency and Crisis Management
- a COVID-19 Counter Fraud Measures Toolkit
- a COVID-19 Standardised Fraud Risk Assessment.
Contact us if you work in a Commonwealth entity and would like further information about these resources.
If you see something, say something
Help safeguard the COVID-19 measures by reporting suspicious activity or suspected fraud. This will make sure help is going to those Australians that need it rather than to those who are dishonestly seeking to gain at the expense of others.
Also report fraud if you have been a victim of fraud, identity theft or scams and access support available to victims of fraud.