Woman convicted over fraudulent compensation claim

In an interesting twist on the standard workers compensation cases that hit the airwaves, a Sydney woman has been convicted of fraud, and ordered to repay $37,818 for a fraudulent workers compensation claim.

The woman made misleading statements in a workers compensation claim alleging she was injured at work in February 2001, but omitted to reveal that she had suffered an accident at her home two months earlier.

Following a successful appeal to the Supreme Court by WorkCover NSW, the woman was order to reply compensation to Allianz Insurance for the amount falsely derived from the workers compensation claim, as well as prosecution court legal costs.

WorkCover chief executive officer, Jon Blackwell, said "providing false or misleading information, and fraudulently obtaining workers compensation payments was viewed most seriously.

"There are harsh penalties for anyone obtaining workers compensation benefits through deception and people must realise that there is a strong possibility that they will have to repay any amounts fraudulently obtained.

"Fraudulent claims impact unfairly on both employers and workers by placing an unnecessary burden on the NSW workers compensation scheme.

"WorkCover actively pursues anyone found to be involved in workers compensation fraud," he said.