If you think someone's committing fraud, you should report it. You can do this in two main ways: by filling out an online form. over the phone by calling our Fraud tip-off line.
You can help us by reporting suspected fraud. If you suspect someone is committing welfare fraud, you can anonymously report them.
It's until when they decide to interview that you get to know you're being investigated. This interview is documented and used against you in Court. If not invited for an interview, you get to know you've been investigated when the CDPP issues a charge of Obtaining a Financial Advantage for you.
Understanding Centrelink Fraud
One common type of fraud is providing false information, such as a fake name or address, to obtain Centrelink payments. Another type is undeclared income, where individuals fail to declare all of their income to Centrelink to receive additional benefits.
If you have defrauded Centrelink, you may be charged under section 134.2 – obtaining a financial advantage by deception. If you are found guilty, the maximum penalty is 10 years imprisonment. You may instead, or also, receive a fine between $10,000 and $100,000 and be made to repay the benefit to Centrelink.
Centrelink will investigate if they suspect you have received unentitled payments. Once Centrelink decide to investigate, Centrelink can require your bank or employer to disclose your financial details relevant to Centrelink purposes. This process can take week to months.
We check your bank account information is up to date. We do this to check we paid you the right payment and amount in the past.
If you lie to Centrelink about your circumstances, you may receive benefits that you would otherwise not be entitled to. Courts view Centrelink fraud very seriously and if found guilty you could face a sentence of imprisonment and will be required to repay the debt to Centrelink.
you may be prosecuted, resulting in a fine or prison sentence. you may be asked to pay a penalty as an alternative to prosecution. you may receive a formal caution. your benefit may be reduced or withdrawn.
Combined partner claims
If they can, you'll need to confirm your relationship status with us. We'll tell you when your partner has made a claim for you. If your Centrelink online account is linked to myGov you can review the details they've given us and confirm your relationship status online.
To report welfare fraud, fill in the report a suspected fraud online form. If you print the completed form for your own records, keep it safe and private.
You need to tell us when you become a member of a couple or end a relationship. This is to ensure you get paid correctly. We may need to ask a third party, a person we call a referee, to verify your relationship status. We'll tell you when we need referee details.
Having them ready will help you finish your claim and not delay the process. For your Special Benefit claim you must provide bank statements for the last 3 months for all accounts you have. This includes any overseas accounts. If you have a partner, we'll also require bank statements for all accounts held by them.
The Federal Minister for Community Services, Mr Larry Anthony, today announced Centrelink has contracted 21 private investigation companies to help in the fight against serious welfare fraud.
If you don't report and you're meant to, we won't pay you. You can report online up to 13 days after your reporting date. If you're more than 13 days late, you need to call us on your regular payment line.
Signs of identity theft
Unusual bills or charges that you don't recognise appear on your bank statement. Mail that you're expecting doesn't arrive. You get calls or texts about products and services you've never used.
What happens if you're suspected of benefit fraud. You'll be contacted by the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ), HM Revenue and Customs ( HMRC ), the Defence Business Services or your local authority if you're suspected of fraud. Your benefit may be stopped while you're investigated.
If we have evidence to suspect that fraud may have been committed, we will interview the benefit claimant, their partner or anyone else that we think may have contributed to an offence. These are recorded interviews carried out under caution and in accordance with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.
Other ways to report benefit fraud
Call the hotline on 0800 854 440. Your call is completely confidential. You do not have to give your name or address.
What happens to Centrelink cheats? Courts treat these offences seriously. The penalties for Centrelink fraud range from 12 months to 10 years imprisonment. If you obtain a Centrelink benefit by deception, a prison sentence is a likely outcome, and you may be liable for the 10 years maximum sentence.
Home visits
Centrelink may also visit your home unexpectedly, but this is not common. They may do this if they are already investigating and believe that you are being dishonest. If a Centrelink officer comes to your home, you: do not have to let them in (unless they are with a police officer who has a warrant)
A. There are many anecdotal stories on whether Centrelink can and does check bank accounts and the upshot is that Centrelink does not have the power to spot check individual's bank accounts. However, it does utilise data-matching with other Government agencies to weed out cases of possible welfare fraud.
There are no laws limiting the amount of cash you can keep at home. This makes sense as many businesses, especially retail stores, keep large amounts of money with them merely as floating cash.
We work with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to prevent, detect and investigate those who try to exploit the welfare system.