Civic education: Anti-fraud panels are being installed in all social security field units to remind those concerned to report their circumstances honestly.

From 1999 to February 2004, the Social Welfare Department received 15,573 reports of suspected fraud cases concerning Comprehensive Society Security Assistance.

Investigations substantiated 1,324 cases involving $70.8 million. As a result, 132 people have been jailed for social security fraud while 59 received other court-imposed punishments such as Community Service Orders.

The report hotline attracted 12,903 reports while 2,670 were made by mail or through the Information Form. 

Concerned over the problem of social-security abuse, the department spares no efforts to combat welfare-payment fraud. As part of its community-education programme, anti-fraud panels are being installed in all social-security field units to remind those concerned to report their circumstances honestly.

The department's Special Investigation Section specialises in combating social-security fraud. Since April, 2002, the number of social-security staff in the Section has grown to115 to step up the fight.

Members of the public can report suspected social security fraud cases through the department's Report Fraud hotline, 2332 0101, by mail or the specially designed Information Form, available in Social Security field units and Home Affairs Department district offices. 

Field offices' security stepped up

Meanwhile, in light of some recent incidents of violence in Social Security field units, the department has been taking active steps to improve the office security.

Renovation work will be carried out to convert independent interview rooms into open interview booths, with a transparent glass panel separating the staff and applicants. 

This design has an additional advantage in that there will be more interview booths than there were interview rooms in the previous design, shortening applicants' waiting time. Two interview rooms will be retained in each SSFU for interviewing individual applicants with special problems where necessary.  

So far, the interview booth design has been completed in six offices. Renovation work for remaining offices will be completed within 2004-05.