INVESTIGATORS using Facebook and other social media in a new crackdown has led to a rise in the number of benefit fraudsters being caught.

New figures show Hyndburn Council’s Investigations team caught 115 people who stole £379,242 from the public purse in a mixture of housing, council tax, and Department for Work and Pensions benefits in 2010/11.

This figure is up from the £186,000 uncovered the previous year, when 91 fraudsters were caught out.

Head of the team at Hyndburn Council Mark Beard says the sudden rise in unfairly claimed cash is partly due to the recession.

He said council investigators were also ‘tackling all angles’ by using a mixture of classic surveillance methods and more modern Facebook monitoring.

He said: “It is amazing the amount of people who don’t realise Facebook is a public forum.

“Many people who tell us they are living alone, have pictures of them with their partner all over Facebook, coupled with the news they are getting married next week. It’s crazy.”

He said they also had the power to view people’s bank statements to see if they were telling the truth financially.

“This year although the number of cases has only risen by 24, the sums of money involved has almost doubled,” he added.

They are currently working on 100 cases and many fraudsters can expect letters in the next few days, the council said.

To report a fraudster, call 01254 380240 or use the ‘Report a Fraud’ page at www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk.