Anti-fraud officers go spying in benefit claimants' houses in the UK

The DWP relies on anti-fraud officers who go and spy on benefit claimants to verify their claims. For instance, claimants who declare that they are a lone parent may end up with an officer trying to verify there is no one else living in the house. And once they are confident that the alleged lone parent is not actually single, their next step will be to find out if the other person is employed. In order to decide which household to target, the DWP relies on a “tip-off” system. People are in fact encouraged to inform on others by calling the national benefit fraud hotline.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/feb/01/benefits-fraud-investigators

Author: Amelia Gentleman

Publication: The Guardian