Crackdown planned on people wrongly claiming child benefit abroad

Government plans crackdown on child benefit claims from people abroad, aiming to save £350m in 5 years. A team of 15 investigators stopped £17m in incorrect payments; now over 200 staff will address the issue. Those wrongly claiming the benefit will be tracked using travel data, with scrutiny expanding to other benefits. Overpayments due to fraud in 2024/25 totaled £6.5bn, prompting renewed government efforts to tackle benefit fraud.