Sun, 07 Dec 2025

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 Covid fraud and error cost taxpayers £10.9bn, report will say

A lack of anti-fraud controls in Covid support schemes is expected to be highlighted in the report.

* Covid-19 support programmes cost taxpayers nearly £11bn through fraud and error
* Fraudsters exploited a "golden opportunity" during the pandemic, according to the Covid Counter Fraud Commissioner Tom Hayhoe
* The report will highlight a lack of anti-fraud controls and rushed rollouts that accepted a high level of fraud risk without plans for managing or mitigating it
* A voluntary repayment scheme was launched in September but only £182m of the £1.4bn lost to undelivered PPE contracts has been recovered so far
* The National Crime Agency is investigating possible criminal offences committed in the PPE procurement system
* The total amount of public money lost to fraud and error in Covid-19 support programmes is nearly £11bn
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