DWP crackdown will be 'assault' on three groups of people in particular

DWP benefit fraud crackdown has been blasted as an 'assault' on the 'disabled, sick and elderly'.
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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) planned fraud crackdown has been branded an assault on THREE groups of people in particular. The DWP benefit fraud crackdown has been blasted as an 'assault' on the 'disabled, sick and elderly'.

Big Brother Watch, a privacy campaigning group, criticised the bill for reportedly allowing the DWP to compel banks to scan benefit recipients’ bank accounts, describing the move as an “unprecedented assault on privacy”.

“The bill completely inverts the presumption of innocence, turning every customer into a suspect until their bank confirms otherwise,” Jasleen Chaggar, legal and policy officer for Big Brother Watch, told the Big Issue. “Given that the DWP already has expansive powers to investigate those suspected of welfare fraud, these sweeping powers amount to no more than a cynical attack on welfare recipients. These measures are not seriously about the recovery of lost funds, but about a misplaced attempt to build a surveillance infrastructure.”

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Chaggar added that “it is those most in need of benefits who will be more deeply harmed by the bill’s most punitive aspects”, and that the bill represents a “blow to our privacy rights”. “The targets are those who are already struggling on the poverty line, as well as those who are disabled, sick and elderly,” she said. “The repercussions of wrongful investigations could have life-altering consequences, including burdensome appeals and the suspension of benefits.”

Shelley Hopkinson, head of policy and influencing at poverty charity Turn2us, warned: “While fraud should be tackled, a disproportionate focus on it deepens stigma, deters people from claiming support, and adds more complexity to an already overwhelming system."

Hopkinson told the Big Issue: “We hear from people every day who are afraid to apply for benefits in case they make a mistake and end up in debt – or worse, are wrongly accused of fraud. We need a system built on trust, that supports rather than suspects and provides security and dignity to everyone who needs it.”