Women allegedly steal IDs to claim emergency payments
Date published
May 2020
Relevant impacts: Financial impact and human impact
Two women from Port Macquarie were arrested after allegedly making suspicious claims for bushfire and coronavirus welfare assistance. The women are alleged to have assumed 25 identities to try to claim more than $27,000 in welfare payments they were not entitled to of which more than $10,000 was paid.
Related fraudster personas
Related countermeasures
Confirm the identity or attribute of the individual.
Evidence of identity should be collected and verified using policies, rules, processes and systems to make sure only known, authorised identities can gain access to information stored in networks and systems.
Clear eligibility requirements and only approve requests or claims that meet the criteria. This can include internal requests for staff access to systems or information.
Make sure forms or system controls require mandatory information to support claims or requests.
Verify any requests or claim information you receive with an independent and credible source.
Fraud detection software programs automatically analyse data to detect what is different from what is standard, normal or expected and may indicate fraud or corruption.
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.
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