A 71-year-old woman who used fake identities to defraud Australian taxpayers of $380,000, is one of thousands of elderly Australians cheating the welfare system.
The Daily Telegraph have revealed that 270,000 elderly Australians have been flying under the radar claiming fraudulent payments.
The mammoth group includes a 71-year-old who has been claiming widow’s allowance under multiple false identities. Her address is listed as “Unknown”.
In another case, a 93-year-old claimed $261,376 in pension payments by hiding assets for over 20 years.
A 87-year-old man who has been claiming the age pension under multiple fake identiies is also among the group.
Changes to the Social Services Act will mean welfare fraudsters have nowhere to hide in the system.
The government will be removing a six-year loophole which has allowed many to escape paying off their debts.
They will also be charging nine percent interest on outstanding debts and will prevent those who refuse to pay back their debts from leaving Australia.
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