UK Child Benefit Crackdown Saves £17m, Expands to Stop £350m Fraud

The UK government is intensifying its crackdown on fraudulent child benefit claims made by individuals living abroad who are no longer eligible for payments. A pilot scheme involving 15 investigators identified and stopped £17 million in wrongful payments to 2,600 claimants, leading to the expansion of the specialist team to over 200 investigators. These investigators will match child benefit records with international travel data to identify claimants outside the UK for more than eight weeks without valid exceptions, aiming to save £350 million over five years. Claimants must notify HMRC if they are abroad for extended periods, and failure to comply may result in benefit suspension. Cabinet Office minister Georgia Gould emphasized the government's commitment to recovering taxpayers' money and warned that those claiming benefits illegitimately will be stopped. This effort is part of broader government measures, including new legislation, targeting fraud and overpayments in the welfare system, which cost billions annually.