Cross-border probe targets welfare fraud by immigrants
A major cross-border investigation has reportedly uncovered widespread social welfare fraud by asylum seekers and other immigrants.
Reports this morning said the inquiry had uncovered significant numbers of foreign nationals taking advantage of the common travel area between the Republic and the UK to defraud the Irish Exchequer.
Some of the fraudsters were reportedly continuing to get Irish social welfare benefits paid into their bank accounts despite having moved to Britain.
One Nigerian couple was reportedly found to be registered for benefits despite owning a four-star hotel in Lagos, while a foreign woman living in Co Meath was found to be claiming benefits of almost €3,000 per month even though her husband was working as a fully qualified doctor in Belfast.
This morning's reports said the Gardaí have also uncovered cases, mainly involving Chinese nationals, where a child registered for benefits had been sent back to the care of relatives in their homeland without the payments being stopped.
The total sum saved by the cross-border crackdown has been put at almost €7m, but this is reportedly a conservative figure. The real amount involved could reportedly run into tens of millions.
