Thousands of Brits to be slapped with fines for fiddling their benefits

THOUSANDS of Brits will be slapped with fines for fiddling their benefits under a fresh Universal Credit crackdown.

A new crack squad team of experts at the Department for Work and Pensions will get a raft of tough new powers to make arrests, search homes and seize evidence as part of a major new drive to clamp down on fake claims.

Brits face fines for fiddling their benefits claims under a fresh clampdown

Two thousand specialists will probe more than two million people on the flagship benefits system over the next five years to check if their claims are right.

A new plan aims to deter criminals and root out fraud in the system, which is thought to have soared during Covid.

Investigators will be able to probe thousands of bank accounts to find out if people have too much money in savings or are living abroad – which would make them ineligible for extra help from the state.

A new civil penalty will be introduced for cases of lower level fraud which didn’t make it to court.

It could see Brits get fined a percentage of the amount they have incorrectly claimed.

DWP chief Therese Coffey hopes the move will save taxpayers £2billion over the next two years.

She will pump in another £600million of cash to bolster the counter-fraud hotline for Brits to shop in their neighbours if they reckon they are trying to pull a fast one.

She said last night: “The welfare system is there to help the most vulnerable.

“It is not a cash machine for callous criminals and it’s vital that the government ensures money is well spent.

“Thousands of trained specialists, combined with targeted new tools and powers, will mean we can keep up with fraud in today’s digital age and prevent, detect and deter those who would try to cheat the system.”  

Minister for Government Efficiency, Jacob Rees-Mogg added: “Taxpayers must have confidence that money spent on welfare reaches those who really need it.”