'Heartless' and 'greedy' NDIS fraudsters jailed

Publisher
Australian Federal Police and National Disability Insurance Agency
Date published
September 2020

Relevant impacts: Human impact, government outcomes impact and financial impact.

A group allegedly controlled multiple providers registered on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to steal over $1.5 million from 68 Australians living with disability.

Victim impact statements submitted in court highlighted the direct impacts of the alleged fraud on scheme participants and their families.

Australian Federal Police Superintendent Mel Phelan said the outcome showed that authorities will not tolerate the exploitation of Australians and the defrauding of taxpayer dollars.

"It's appalling that people are willing to steal directly from the pockets of Australians living with a disability, denying people the crucial support offered by the NDIS," said Superintendent Phelan.

Two people have been sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in prison for their role in the group. Court proceedings are continuing for an additional 4 people charged.

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Related fraudster personas

The Organised

The Organised are groups which use a combination of methods in planned, coordinated and sophisticated ways to dishonestly gain benefits.

The Exploiter

The Exploiter uses something for a wrongful purpose to dishonestly gain personal benefits.

Related countermeasures

Collaborate with strategic partners

Collaborate with strategic partners such as other government entities, committees, working groups and taskforces. This allows you to share capability, information and intelligence and to prevent and disrupt fraud.

Verify information

Verify any requests or claim information you receive with an independent and credible source.

Complaints handling

Allow clients, staff and third parties to lodge complaints about actions or decisions they disagree with. This may identify fraud or corruption as a cause for complaints, such as a failure to receive an expected payment.

Audits or reviews

Internal or external audits or reviews evaluate the process, purpose and outcome of activities. Clients, public officials or contractors can take advantage of weaknesses in government programs and systems to commit fraud, act corruptly, and avoid exposure.

Investigate fraud

 Investigate fraud in line with the Australian Government Investigation Standards (AGIS).

Coordinate disruption

Coordinate disruption activities across multiple programs or entities to strengthen processes and identify serious and organised criminals targeting multiple programs. It can also include referrals to law enforcement agencies for those groups that reach the threshold for complex criminal investigations.

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