Thursday, 29 August 2024

Detective Senior Sergeant Scott Neilson:

Five people are set to appear in court following a significant fraud investigation by Police and ACC.

In November 2023, Police were alerted to a co-ordinated operation where the alleged offenders were engaged in creating fraudulent ACC claims.

An investigation was launched in response to multiple incidents where clients misused an online platform to gain funds through a reimbursement process.

Following the investigation, Police have now charged five people believed to be the key individuals involved.

Three women aged 31, 24, and 36, along with a 41-year-old man, are due to appear in Hamilton District Court. A 42-year-old woman is also due to appear in Manukau District Court.

All are due to appear on Thursday 29 August, facing two charges of accessing a computer for dishonest purposes.

Due to the large scope of offending, Police are making further enquiries and further charges are being considered.

Police take fraud seriously and offending like this will not be tolerated. We will continue to hold offenders who participate in these activities to account.

ACC Deputy Chief Executive Service Delivery Michael Frampton said ACC’s Integrity Services and Information Technology teams, working with external forensic experts, conducted a thorough investigation into the fraud.

“Our investigation into the fraudulent travel reimbursement claims showed there was no evidence that ACC’s cyber security had been compromised. Maintaining the privacy of client information is of utmost importance to us and clients who use our MyACC self-service application can be assured the platform is safe to use and their data is secure.”

"The laying of criminal charges demonstrates the seriousness of the fraud and we thank NZ Police for their help with our investigation."

As this matter is before the Courts, Police are unable to comment further.

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