Victorian man arrested over 500 fake COVID-19 payment claims

A man has been arrested for allegedly submitting more than 500 fake pandemic payment claims worth about $60,000.

Victoria Police have discovered loads of counterfeit equipment at a home in Melbourne’s west during a fraud investigation into COVID-19 temporary isolation payments made during the pandemic.

A card printer, an embossing machine, driver’s licenses, fake Medicare and other ID cards, cell phone jammers, tablets and computers have been seized by detectives from a home in Braybrook, police said Friday.

Police have arrested a man in Melbourne’s west over a COVID-19 payment scam reportedly worth $60,000

A 41-year-old Braybrook man has been arrested and is expected to be charged on charges of deception and fraudulent documents.

β€œIt will be alleged that between 2020 and 2021, more than 500 fraudulent COVID-19 grant applications were successfully submitted under various false names worth nearly $60,000,” police said in a statement.

The investigation is ongoing.