Housing, benefits fraud clampdown expected

Minister Ronald Plasterk (Internal Affairs) has called on municipalities to make more house calls to fight against "address fraud", where people give up false addresses to profit from housing benefits and student financing, among other things. According to NOS, these visits will henceforth be paid for by the State. The Cabinet made 13 million euros available for this last year. Plasterk wants 20 thousand house calls per year, with which he expects to detect 15 thousand cases of fraud. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the average caught fraudster brings in about 2,800 euros from recovered benefits. This means that the new approach should bring in about 30 million euros.