The controversial move has caused concern
The Department for Work and Pensions is being armed with new powers to deduct funds straight from individuals' bank accounts, as part of a fresh crackdown on benefit fraud in the UK.
"My team are still, in 2024, sending letters to gather evidence for those suspected of welfare fraud, slowing them down to snail's pace when they could be shutting down serious fraud cases."In light of figures estimating last year's benefit fraud at £7.3billion, costing the taxpayer, the Government has its sights set on a savings goal of £1.6billion over the coming five years through these new measures.
However, the direct debit power granted to the Government has raised alarm among privacy advocates, wary of the far-reaching consequences of such authority. Rather than pursuing legal action, investigators can now directly recover debts from those guilty of benefit fraud.
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