Staggering cost of pension benefit fraud laid bare as conmen in their 90s caught stealing YOUR money

New Dispatch Published Jun 29, 2026 Reviewed Jul 1, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors

Over‑65s fraudulently claimed £210 million last year, up from £120 million five years earlier.

210000000 GBP · fraud amount claimed by over‑65s120000000 GBP · fraud amount claimed by over‑65s five years earlier Department for Work and Pensions, government department

Department errors caused an additional £100 million in overpayments.

100000000 GBP · overpayments due to department errors Department for Work and Pensions, government department

Claimants aged 90 and older fraudulently raked in £20 million.

20000000 GBP · fraud amount by claimants aged 90+ Department for Work and Pensions, government department

Over-65s fraudulently claimed £210 million last year, up from £120 million five years ago.

210 million · over-65s120 million · over-65s Department for Work and Pensions, Department

Pensioners aged 70‑74 were responsible for £80 million in fraud, according to The Sun.

80000000 GBP · fraud amount by pensioners aged 70‑74 The Sun, news outlet

The DWP says it has already saved £1 billion from incorrect payments.

1000000000 GBP · savings from incorrect payments Department for Work and Pensions, government department

Fraudsters aged 65‑69 and 75‑79 each stole an estimated £40 million.

40000000 GBP · fraud amount by fraudsters aged 65‑6940000000 GBP · fraud amount by fraudsters aged 75‑79 The Sun, news outlet

Over-65s fraudulently claimed £210 million last year, which is a sharp increase from £120 million five years ago, according to new figures from the Department for Work and Pensions.

210000000 £ · fraudulent claims by over-65s120000000 £ · fraudulent claims by over-65s Department for Work and Pensions

Claimants aged 90 and older fraudulently claimed a total of £20 million, according to new figures from the Department for Work and Pensions.

20000000 £ · fraudulent claims by claimants aged 90 and older Department for Work and Pensions

Another £100 million in overpayments was caused by department errors alone, according to new figures from the Department for Work and Pensions.

100000000 £ · overpayments caused by department errors Department for Work and Pensions

Pensioners aged between 70 and 74 were responsible for £80 million in fraud, The Sun revealed.

80000000 £ · fraud by pensioners aged 70-74 The Sun

Fraudsters aged 65-69 and 75-79 each stole an estimated £40 million, according to figures revealed by the Department for Work and Pensions.

about 40000000 £ · fraud by pensioners aged 65-69about 40000000 £ · fraud by pensioners aged 75-79 Department for Work and Pensions

Simon Lee, policy analyst at the TaxPayers' Alliance, stated that a £210 million fraud explosion is a disgraceful betrayal of honest pensioners.

210000000 £ · fraud explosion Simon Lee, policy analyst at the TaxPayers' Alliance

Pensioners obscuring assets or savings swindled £77 million of the total fraud pot, according to figures revealed by the Department for Work and Pensions.

77000000 £ · fraud by obscuring assets or savings Department for Work and Pensions

Another £67 million of the fraud total was from older Britons who were discovered to have a home abroad, according to figures revealed by the Department for Work and Pensions.

67000000 £ · fraud by older Britons with a home abroad Department for Work and Pensions

A further £15 million in fraud was committed by those who had cash jobs or were secretly an employee, according to figures revealed by the Department for Work and Pensions.

15000000 £ · fraud by those with cash jobs or secret employment Department for Work and Pensions

The OAP weekly top-up is worth £238 for single people and £363 per week for couples, according to Department for Work and Pensions policy information.

238 £ · weekly OAP top-up for single people363 £ · weekly OAP top-up for couples Department for Work and Pensions

Criminal proceedings against suspected fraudsters plummeted by 94 per cent, according to staggering new figures.

94 % · plummet in criminal proceedings against suspected fraudsters official figures

The DWP stated that £1 billion has already been saved from incorrect payments.

1000000000 £ · saved from incorrect payments Department for Work and Pensions

OAP weekly top-up is £238 for single people and £363 for couples.

238 per week · OAP weekly top-up for single people363 per week · OAP weekly top-up for couples Department for Work and Pensions, Department

Pensioners who obscured assets or savings swindled £77 million of the total fraud pot.

77000000 GBP · fraud amount by pensioners hiding assets

£67 million of the fraud total came from older Britons discovered to have a home abroad.

67000000 GBP · fraud amount from Britons with a home abroad

A further £15 million was obtained by fraudsters who had cash jobs or were secretly an employee.

15000000 GBP · fraud amount from cash‑job fraudsters

Criminal proceedings against suspected fraudsters fell by 94 percent.

94 % · decline in criminal proceedings

The weekly top‑up of the pension credit benefit is worth £238 for single people and £363 for couples.

238 GBP · weekly top‑up for single recipients363 GBP · weekly top‑up for couple recipients

'Scammers are stealing from taxpayers and draining support from those who genuinely need it,' the TaxPayers' Alliance said

The staggering cost of pension benefit fraud had been laid bare in new figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Last year, over-65s fraudulently claimed £210million, a sharp increase from £120miliion just five years ago,.

Claimants aged 90 and older were revealed to fraudulently raked in a total of £20million.

The elder fraudsters collected the benefits despite having no legal right to it by living abroad, stashing away secret savings, or working cash-in-hand roles.

Another £100million in overpayments was caused by department errors alone.

Pensioners aged between 70 and 74 were the worst offenders, responsible for £80million in fraud, The Sun revealed.

Fraudsters aged 65-69 and 75-79 each stole an estimated £40million.

Simon Lee, policy analyst at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "This £210million fraud explosion is a disgraceful betrayal of honest pensioners.

"Scammers are stealing from taxpayers and draining support from those who genuinely need it.

"Ministers must recover every penny possible and make sure fraudsters face the full force of the law."

Pensioners obscuring assets or savings swindled £77million of the total fraud pot.

Another £67million of the fraud total was from older Britons who were discovered to have a home abroad.

And a further £15million was won by those who had cash jobs or secretly an employee.

The tax-free, means-tested benefit is designed to help those on low incomes with their living costs.

It also serves a top up to an OAP weekly, worth £238 for single people, and £363 per week for couples.

Criminal proceedings against suspected fraudsters plummeted by 94 per cent, staggering new figures revealed.

Other benefits are available once Britons receive pension credit, including council tax reductions, NHS dental care, travel costs, and the warm home discount system.

The DWP said: "We're taking action to fix the broken welfare system we inherited, including extending the Targeted Case Review to Pension Credit – building on £1 billion already saved from incorrect payments.

"We're also launching a dedicated campaign to make sure claimants know their responsibilities, because the vast majority want to do the right thing and we want to make it easy for them to do so."

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