FOURTEEN benefit cheats have been prosecuted and almost 50 more cautioned after a crackdown by Welwyn Hatfield Council.
The authority pays out more than �30m in housing and council tax benefits each year – most from Government funds, but some from council tax.
In the last financial year they stopped fraud totalling �117,304.
The council’s finance director Bob Jewell said: “Benefit fraud is a crime which impacts directly on the local community – false claims mean there are less resources available to help those in genuine need and can also lead to tax increases.”
* If you know somebody claiming housing and/or council tax benefit dishonestly, call the council’s confidential hotline on 01707 357606.
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