Taxpayers face being ripped off by fraudsters targeting the Government's Covid-19 financial rescue schemes, a new report has warned.
The Policy Exchange think tank fears measures introduced to save individuals and businesses from economic ruin are especially vulnerable to scams because of the sheer size and speed of the packages introduced.
The paper, Daylight Robbery, estimates fraud and error could cost the Government between £1.3 billion and £7.9 billion. The cost is based on expected fraud rates for Government expenditure from the Cabinet Office and the Department for Work and Pensions. "The true value may be closer to the upper bound, due to the higher than usual levels of fraud that accompany disaster management," the report said. "Th