More Spying By the Government: DWP Plan to Monitor Bank Accounts Monthly

From the National Scot:

Benefit claimants will reportedly have their bank accounts monitored under new “Big Brother” anti-fraud plans drawn up by the UK Government.

The law change is due to be introduced in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement expected later this month, The Telegraph reports.

Ministers told the paper the change could save the taxpayer £500 million in the first five years.

Read the full article here: https://www.thenational.scot/news/23903863.dwp-plan-monitor-benefit-claimants-bank-accounts/

From the Mirror:

Some of the potential measures include allowing DWP investigators to access and collect third-party data from banks to see where claimants are spending their money and allow investigators to execute search and seizure orders – so to be able to come into a claimant’s home and take away phones and laptops. Agents could also be given the power to make arrests rather than having to call in the police.

Read the full article here: https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/dwp-could-soon-allowed-look-31351599

From the comments:

  • How much is lost through tax fraud compared to benefit fraud? Probably 10x times as much as benefit mispayments, yet it seems the Government focus’ is to continually punish those with the least with punitive measures such as these ideas they’ve come up with…
  • Maybe we should get access to the MPs accounts to see who’s funding them and where they are spending tax payers money that pay their extortionate salaries.
  • Why is fraud always the excuse to attack the poor, but, nothing is ever done about corporate/elite tax avoiders…
  • This will undoubtedly be the thin end of the wedge and if such powers are granted they will gradually be expanded so that Govt departments can spy on, and control, as many people as possible.
  • But it’s OK for your money to go to Ukraine and Israel then.
  • They’ve always been able to do that!

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