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Welfare cheat cries poor to avoid paying back more than $140k

AN IDENTITY-morphing welfare cheat has cried poor to avoid paying back what he ripped-off over a decade by hiding more than $1 million in cash and assets from Centrelink.

Centrelink fraud Rabee Ebady has been ordered to pay back more than $140,000.
Centrelink fraud Rabee Ebady has been ordered to pay back more than $140,000.

AN IDENTITY-morphing welfare cheat has cried poor to avoid paying back what he ripped-off over a decade by hiding more than $1 million in cash and assets from Centrelink.

Rabee Ebady, 48, appealed to the Administrative Appeal Tribunal to overturn a Department of Social Services’ order to pay back more than $140,000 in undeserved disability, unemployment and rental assistance.

The scammer argued he should be forgiven the debt because he was in financial difficulty, with no income and relying on family members for financial support.

Born Rabei Ebady in Iraq in 1969, the tribunal heard Mr Ebady has legally changed his name five times in 15 years _ to Robe Mnsor in 2000, back to Rabei Ebady in 2006, to Waiel Kalf Ebady in 2008, to Rabei Ebady again in 2014 and in 2015 to Ali Ebady.

Rabee Ebady hid more than $1 million in cash and assets from Centrelink.
Rabee Ebady hid more than $1 million in cash and assets from Centrelink.

Mr Ebady admitted also using the names Wael (Kalf) Ebady, Rabeia Al Mansouri and Ebady Ali but denied using Asami Mahod, Khalil Ibrahim Alibrahimy and Khalil Abrahim.
At all relevant times his name was recorded by Centrelink as Rabee Abdulnabi Ebadi.

Mr Ebady’s disability support pension was cancelled in March last year and he was ordered to pay back $142,006 for overpayments of the pension, Newstart Allowance and rent assistance for various periods dating back to 2005.

The department claimed Mr Ebady was overpaid because he failed to declare income totalling $691,566, offshore transfers totalling $447,631 and the ownership and sale of a home in the Sydney suburb of Fairfield.

Almost 2,000 pages of bank statements detailed 1,183 transactions involving 58 separate accounts at six banks in various of Mr Ebady’s identities.

The department said Mr Ebady failed to explain the deposits and transfers and was not entitled to rent assistance while a homeowner.

Mr Ebady claimed he changed his name to open bank accounts and obtain credit cards to fund gambling and would take a new name when his unpaid credit card debts got to the point where debt collectors were after him.

To satisfy the banks he could repay credit, Mr Ebady said he registered a sham business — All Perfect Services — and shuffled money to give the appearance the company was paying him wages.

He also admitted setting up accounts in the name of his wife, who also received Centrelink payments, even while overseas for eight months.

Mr Ebady offered the tribunal no explanation for most of the deposits but denied making international transfers through the informal “hawallah” system, claiming he was the victim of identity theft after losing his wallet six times, although he could not recall the dates, and a corrupt “hawallah” agent, who he said allowed anyone to make transfers without proper identification and had since left the country after numerous complaints.

But Tribunal senior member Jill Toohey said she was satisfied Mr Ebady operated the accounts, made the transfers, earned income and sold a house without telling Centrelink.

With hardship alone specifically precluded as a “special circumstance” for not repaying social security debts, Ms Toohey affirmed the department’s payback order, saying: “There is no reason why he should not have to repay all of that debt.”

Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/welfare-cheat-cries-poor-to-avoid-paying-back-more-than-140k/news-story/9d83cdfc716cf1d8273376f8ee1366d0