Alleged scam exploited National Disability Scheme over $1 million
Federal police have smashed what they claim was a brazen scam which exploited disabled people in Sydney to steal at least $1.1 million from the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Federal police have smashed what they claim was a brazen scam which exploited disabled people in Sydney to steal at least $1.1 million from the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Syndicate members allegedly splurged on high-end sports cars including a Porsche Cayenne.
Three men and two women, aged between 27 and 40, were arrested today in Liverpool and Lurnea in connection to three companies — Universal Group Australia, Reliance Disability Services and United Mission — who allegedly made entirely false or inflated claims against the accounts of NDIS clients.
The companies allegedly made fraudulent claims from more than 70 people on NDIS disability plans or the people managing their affairs.
“Investigations into the true scale of this fraud are continuing, with more than 100 other potential victims identified through the three entities controlled by this syndicate,” an AFP statement said.
In many cases syndicate members allegedly claimed for support services like cleaning which they only partly provided or did not provide at all.
The syndicate’s allegedly illegal takings stand at $1.1 million but the three companies have claimed more than $2.6 million in NDIS payments since December 2017.
“Further enquiries are required to determine whether these payments are legitimate or fraudulent,” the statement said.
The AFP suspects syndicate members applied to register another four entities as NDIS providers to claim payments.
Police seized three vehicles in today’s raids — a Porsche Cayenne, an Audi A3 and Mercedes E63 — suspected of being purchased with the fraudulent takings.
Each person claiming benefits from the NDIS is assigned an account with the applicable funding. It is alleged the syndicate members made claims against those accounts, which were then paid.
AFP Acting Commander Mark McIntyre alleged “this is an organised criminal activity preying on those that society has chosen to help”.
“It took money directly out of the pockets of NDIS participants, reducing their ability to obtain crucial assistance and services to help them lead their lives,” he said.
“Unfortunately this is not an isolated case, and we will continue to work with our taskforce partners to identify those preying on our needy and bring them to account.”
A 40-year-old man from Lurnea and his 35-year-old partner were both charged with obtaining a gain and dealing with property reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime.
A 27-year-old man, 30-year-old man and 27-year-old woman — all from Liverpool — were each charged with dealing with property reasonably suspected to proceeds of crime while a 22-year-old woman was expected to be issued a court attendance notice for allegedly providing false or misleading information.
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