HAND WEST VANCOUVER

THE VOICE OF NGORT

News 985-2131) Classified 986-6222 . Distribution 986-1337 40 pages °25¢

_ INVESTIGATORS FOR ‘the | _North_ Vancouver-Canada:
Employment. Centre uncovered: more ‘than $1 million. in
unemployment insurance fraud from March 1987 to March

1988.
According - to “figures released
this: week, the local employment
office paid out more than $70 mil-
» lion;in benefits to North Shore,
Sunshine Coast and Howe Sound
area residents. in that:

» Was discovered to have been paid
out to. fraudulent or ineligible
* claims.’ if " i

The figure represents a St per
cent increase in the dollar,amount

of fraud detected by North Van- ©

couver investigators over the cor-
‘responding March ,!986 to, March
1987: period, when $713,528 of a’
similar $70 million in total benefits
was found to have been paid out to
fraudulent claims. * ‘

"Ty n ‘addition fo; inereasing
the amount of fraud flushed :
trom the local unemployment’
"insurance system, |
investigations also resulted ir
Sive successful criminal’ ,
prosecutions in North,
Vancouver’ provi

-

Andrew: Lane, . manager of!
North .Vancouver’s Canada’
. Employment Centre, said the j jump
-in, - snaring unemployment - in--
surance cheaters is more, due to the
increased’ efficiency “of, ‘the North
Vancouver office's. fraud detection
than any massiv . increase in uIC
“fraud, =e

The North Vancouver office ice,

‘now’ has a-four-member _investiga-
- tions team made. up of: two ‘full-

time Investigation and Control of-

ficers and two support . staff. An

. additional \investigator was added

* Jast year. ,

Of .the total 19,005 unemplioy-
ment insuzance claims handled by
the office over the 1987-"88 period,
‘4, 720 were investigated... :

“During: the corresponding 198 :
87. peridd,',, 20,453 | claims - were
“processed and 4,165 examined. by*
employment investigators. y

_ Lane declined to’ estimate. how
much fraud. is still

< 17-month -
period. Of that-sum, $1,083,000. —

; going :

undetected, but he s
catching the majority of in

in ‘addition: to increasing the
amount of fraud flushed from the
local unemployment’ insurance
system, investigations.aiso resulted
cin five successful criminal prosecu-
tions in North’ Vancouver provin-
cial court. Of the five, one received
ajailterm. |.

Most persons convicted of UIC
frauds are fined and:ordered to
perform community - work service.
All must’ repay’ the benefits they 5
: received fraudulently. 0

But Lane said cheaters who vol:
untarily, turn ‘themselves in are not
‘prosecuted. ‘They are simply. re~
quired to repay the UIC fund.:

_ Intensified investigative vigilance
has been. helped..by two employer
‘ programs .and anonymous phone
calls and tipsters. . ,

“We are’ all. taxpayers,"* Lane:
said, “and people get upset when’
‘they hear about “it. (UIC fraud),
"especially when someone is bragg-

fing about how they are ripping off:

Hl unemployment insurance.” ;
IC's Report on Hiring . and
Computer Post ‘Audit programs
combine the ‘resources’ of.
_ employers and. Canada. Employ-
ment Centres to ensure UIC claims
“are, and continue to be,’ legitimate.»
Under | the "former program,
_ employers report -to employnient
-centres’ the’ social ‘insurance:
_humbers and first days of work of;
“each new. empivyee; while under
the, Jatter program, * employment
» entre computers match.work re-
cords with those of employers.
‘Though: neither programs are
new,‘Lane said employers are in-
creasingly _ becoming involved «
“because . 60 . “per cent af ithe,
unemployment insurance prost
.is paid for, by-the ¢mployer."” ne
The North® Vancouver office i is
‘also intensifying investigation into
self-employed ‘businessmen,
because many ‘falsely. believe that if
they do not draw - 2° wage from.
their: firm they. are entitled. to uIC