A SHOCK report today reveals benefit fraud reaches a staggering £2 billion a year.

In a long overdue move an all-party committee of MPs is demanding the setting up of a central benefits fraud squad and an immediate investigation of private landlords who receive more than 20 housing benefit payments each week.

An estimated one in five claims could be fraudulent, and, unbelievably, nine million national insurance numbers belonging to dead people are still in existence, allowing fraudsters access to huge chunks of our benefit system.

Given the scale of deception there's no doubt immediate action is needed to stop our hard-earned taxes falling into the hands of organised fraudsters.

But before a newly-appointed government agency rushes into battle with all guns blazing, there is a need for caution.

The government should look carefully at its past achievements in the field of recouping cash and learn lessons from the Child Support Agency fiasco.

We'd hate to see the fraud investigators follow the CSA's path and go for easy targets first.

We want to see fat cat landlords brought to justice - not little old ladies harassed for a few pounds they might have mistakenly claimed.

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