Unsophisticated methodology nets $60,000 in fraudulent mouse plague relief funds
Date published
April 2023
Relevant impacts: Financial impact, Business impact and Government system impact.
A 31-year-old woman fraudulently claimed $60,000 through the NSW mouse plague rebate scheme. Over a 10-month period, 120 payments were received into 120 different bank accounts. All bank accounts were created in the woman’s name, with a unique email address.
After pleading guilty to 10 charges of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and one of dealing with identity information to commit an indictable offence, the woman was sentenced to:
- a 2-year intensive corrections order to be served in the community
- 300 hours of community service
- repaying the fraudulently obtained funds.
Related fraudster personas
Related countermeasures
Verify any requests or claim information you receive with an independent and credible source.
Put in place processes for staff or external parties to lodge tip-offs or Public Interest Disclosures.
Prepare summary reports on activities for clients, managers or responsible staff.
These are penalties for customers, staff or third parties that commit fraud or do not comply with rules, processes and expectations.
Providing clear statements and communications on entity practices to detect and respond to fraud can discourage fraudulent or corrupt activities. Staff and clients will be less able to rationalise or justify fraudulent or corrupt conduct when informed of the outcomes of fraud.
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