LONDON: England may have paid more than 8 billion pounds ($ 11 billion) in welfare payments as fraud and errors reaching a record level during the first year of Pandemic Coronavirus, Watchdog said government expenditure.
The National Audit Office (NAO) said the amount was paid more paid by the Department of Work (DWP) and retirement rose from more than 4 billion pounds of the previous year.
NAO said almost all increased fraud related to universal credit, the main method of England to support those who did not work or on low income.
The number of people with two universal credit doubled to six million since March last year when the government announced the first national locking to load pandemics, which forced non-essential shops, bars and restaurants to be closed.
The rate of fraud rises because the normal verification examination is suspended to process the claims of new benefits last spring, said Watchdog expenditure.
“I am worried that the level of fraud and errors in the benefit system continues to increase year to year, now it reaches the highest level since the record starts,” said Head of Nao Gareth Davies.
“I realized that the pandemic and surge in the number of prosecutors had increased DWP’s exposure to fraud and errors.
Now must review all cases that can submit to fraud so far.” Universal credit contributed 6 billion from the estimated benefits paid in 2020-21, said watchdog.
The government must deal with an increased risk of organized crime since the start of Pandemi, said Nao.
Fraudsters hijack the identity of people to make fictitious claims with payments transferred to bank accounts that they can access, Watchdog said.