PETALING JAYA: Australian police nabbed two Malaysians over an alleged involvement in a syndicate suspected of defrauding the Australian government of almost A$500,000 (RM1.6 million) through Covid-19 payment schemes.
Authorities reportedly said that the 34-year-old woman and a 27-year-old man were involved in making fraudulent claims under the government’s Covid-19 Disaster Payments programme through the creation of fake identities, the Daily Mail reported.
Their schemes targeted those who were unable to make the claims by themselves.
“We take fraud very seriously and have a responsibility to prevent people taking advantage of those who are genuinely in need,” Services Australia general manager Hank Jongen reportedly said, according to the daily.
The report said police alleged that the fraud syndicate had been advertising assistance on social media during the pandemic, offering their services as “agents” to help people claim the government payments.
