MORE than £720,000 is being recovered by Redbridge Council after it was fraudulently claimed.
In a bid to combat the problem, the council is working with the Audit Commission to ensure those that cheat the system are identified and caught.
The authority has said that since 2008, more than £722,000 has been overpaid or claimed fraudulently in the borough, the majority linked to housing benefit and council tax.
The Audit Commission compares sets of data from councils and differences in records are noted.
This allows potentially fraudulent claims and overpayments to be identified and investigated.
For example, a fraudster claiming single person’s discount for council tax while living with somebody will be found out when the Electoral Register shows that they do not live alone.
If you suspect that benefit fraud is being committed report it to the council's 24-hour fraud hotline on 020 8553 9033 or 0800 633 5267 or email benefitfraudteam@redbridge.gov.uk.
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