Covid Fraud: A costly and long-lasting side-effect of the pandemic

Niall Hearty considers the ongoing fall-out from coronavirus support scheme fraud.

With the issue of fraud related to government COVID-19 support schemes showing no sign of abating, Niall Hearty wrote an assessment of the situation.

In his article, which was published by Expert Witness, Niall explains the scale of the problem and its political impact, with current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak having been heavily criticised for his approach to coronavirus fraud while Chancellor.

Niall refers to the resignation of the UK’s fraud minister Lord Theodore Agnew and outlines the ability of fraudsters to use the pandemic as an opportunity to deploy new techniques to defraud government bodies and exploit individuals.

He questions why the architects of the coronavirus support schemes were unable to spot the potential for fraudulent gains immediately and why, when it became apparent, action was not taken quicker.

Niall also cites the July 2020 warning from the Crown Prosecution Service that there was a risk of coronavirus being used as a vehicle for fraud. He highlights the fact that the Treasury only expects to recover only £1 of every £4 stolen from the public purse by coronavirus fraudsters. This, he argues, is a situation that could have been avoided if the right action had been taken at the right time.

Niall's article features in the Expert Witness Journal.