The cost of welfare fraud in Hastings Quinte over the past five years has topped a million dollars…but investigators have been cutting into that. Deputy Director of Joint Social Services Steve Gatward says the four fraud investigators have been a great benefit to the department. Last year they identified 127-thousand dollars worth of overpayment to people on welfare. There were a total of 549-investigations in Belleville, Quinte West, and Hastings County..Gatward says this could involve not reporting income, or not reporting having a job. The money is recovered through clawbacks on welfare checks, or through a collections process.
