First arrest over furlough fraud

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has announced its first arrest for alleged furlough fraud. A 57-year old man was detained in Solihull as part of an investigation into a suspected £495,000 Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) swindle.

More than £27.4 billion has been claimed through the CJRS, which supports 1.1m employers and 9.4m furloughed jobs.

Richard Las, acting director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said the scheme “is part of the collective national effort to protect jobs. The vast majority of employers will have used the CJRS responsibly, but we will not hesitate to act on reports of abuse of the scheme.”

The man was also arrested in relation to a suspected multi-million pound tax fraud and alleged money laundering offences, along with eight others.

https://www.mynewsdesk.com/uk/hm-revenue-customs-hmrc/pressreleases/west-midlands-man-arrested-on-suspicion-of-495000-pounds-furlough-fraud-3020956