What is social security fraud?

• Social security fraud occurs when a person provides false or misleading information to a government department such as Centrelink in order to gain social security benefits.
• Offences relating to social security fraud are federal offences and governed by Commonwealth legislation. This means the law is the same in every state.
• Many social security offences are ‘strict liability’ offences. This means you can be found guilty regardless of whether you intended to commit the offence or not.
• Even if Centrelink have been making overpayments to you in error you can still be charged with social security fraud.
• If Centrelink tell you they want to interview you about an overpayment you should contact a lawyer immediately. You may be able to contact a solicitor in your area by using our free Find a Lawyer directory.