In a time when a lot of businesses are still recovering from the pandemic, fraudulent claims have been on the rise. These behaviours threaten the integrity of workers compensation schemes, taking money and resources away from genuinely injured workers who depend on them for their livelihoods.
WorkSafe Victoria Executive Director Insurance Roger Arnold has stated “Fraud is proportionally low within Victoria’s workers compensation scheme however there’s always a shifty few that believe they’ll get away with breaking the law”.
The most recent case sees a forklift operator required to pay back $48,367 after he was found to have been working as a food delivery driver despite being declared injured and receiving workers compensation. 35-year-old Melbourne resident Rafi Rafiuzzaman pleaded guilty to multiple charges of obtaining payments fraudulently after the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court discovered that the driver had falsely declared unemployment whilst receiving compensation. Whilst lodging a claim after Rafiuzzaman had been hit by a forklift in April 2020, a WorkSafe investigation found he had continued to work as a delivery driver and going as far as working on that exact same day. Rafiuzzaman performed over 230 deliveries and WorkSafe cancelled the man’s claim in August 2021.
It was discovered that he earned more than $21,000 from the undeclared employment and the court placed him on a 12-month community corrections order. He is required to repay the money he received while being declared injured and complete 120 hours of unpaid community work.
This false compensation claim is one of the many that the regulator has continued to work on clamping down to ensure that this scheme continues to support the right people. WorkSafe insurance business unit executive director Roger Arnold declares “Zero tolerance for fraudsters.”
If you have workers compensation claims you are concerned about, contact our team to discuss possible strategies and approaches. Alternatively, please refer to the articles below for further information.
References
Source: Insurance News
Title: Fraudster forced to repay compensation after false claim
Read Time: 5 minutes
Source: Worksafe VIC
Title: Forklift fraud ordered to pay back $48,000
Read Time: 5 minutes
Source: Mirage News
Title: WorkSafe gives 37 compensation fraudsters flick
Read Time: 5 minutes
Source: Worksafe VIC
Title: Fraudster caught claiming injuries on fake jobs
Read Time: 5 minutes