The below is drawn directly from National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) resources.
“The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has zero tolerance for fraud against the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), participants and the NDIA. Any amount of fraud is unacceptable.
Fraud is a crime. It requires intent. People who commit fraud try to get benefits for themselves or others by being dishonest.
Fraud is more than carelessness or making mistakes. If someone unintentionally does the wrong thing, we call this non-compliance.
There are a number of ways people commit fraud against the NDIS and the NDIA:
- unlawfully obtaining and using NDIA information or restricted data
- providing false or misleading information
- using fake documents and invoices
- making claims for services or products that were not provided
- misusing funds
- theft
- unlawful disclosure of official information
- accounting fraud (e.g. false invoices, misappropriation)
- fraudulently claiming leave, travel and other entitlements
- misuse of assets, equipment or other facilities
Criminal behaviour will always be investigated and perpetrators will be prosecuted.
Consequences of fraud
When people do the wrong thing with NDIS funds:
- it takes money from a participant’s NDIS budget
- stops participants from being able to purchase the supports they genuinely need
- makes it harder for participants to pursue their goals
- puts additional pressure on carers, family, friends and support networks
Participants who have been the victim of fraud and non-compliance have also told us they:
- feel fear or shame
- have lost trust in their providers and the NDIS
- are worried they will lose more supports if they report suspicious behaviour to us”
(NDIS 2023)
Here are some tips from My Plan Manager on how to help protect yourself from fraud
- Elect to receive SMS notifications: SMS notifications allow you to know who’s claiming from your plan and how much. You can contact the My Plan Manager team in real time to query invoices as they’re received. If you’ve elected not to receive SMS notifications, you can switch them on by calling us on 1800 861 272 from 8am-6pm (SA time), Monday to Friday.
- Check your consents: Ensure you know who you’ve provided us consent to share your information with and consider the value of this personal information, including NDIS funding amounts.
- Check your contact details: Ensure you regularly check that your contact details are up to date to avoid missing important communication or having your information sent to someone else. If you’re unsure who you may previously have provided consent to, you can check by calling us on 1800 861 272 from 8am-6pm (SA time), Monday to Friday.
- Protect your credentials: Don’t share login credentials for My Plan Manager portal or myGov accounts. No one should want or need direct access to your personal and sensitive information, and you should notify us and the NDIA of any suspicious behaviour or requests to access your personal and private accounts.
- Budget monitoring: Our client portal and mobile app allow you to monitor your spending in real time and ensure that supports are being claimed as intended. You should contact us if you have concerns about your rate of spend or if you notice any unusual activity.
- Protect your devices: Don’t share your phone or other devices. Other people may be able to access your private accounts and modify your personal information if they have access to your physical devices (such as phones and iPads).
We recently heard this great podcast in the Summer Foundation’s ‘Reasonable and Necessary: Making Sense of the NDIS’ podcast series (see 31 January 2023 episode). It features a discussion with the Assistant Director of the Fraud Fusion Taskforce at the NDIA, Bruce Graydon, the Director of Compliance and Worker Screening at the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, Matt Barr, and disability ally Peter Gregory, and provides some brilliant tips for protecting yourself against NDIS fraud.
If you suspect someone is doing the wrong thing with NDIS funds, you should report it to the NDIS. You can report suspected fraud or non-compliance by calling the NDIS Fraud Reporting and Scams Helpline on 1800 650 717 or emailing [email protected].
Or you can contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission by clicking here.
If you have any questions, we’re also here to help. You can email us at [email protected] or call us on 1800 861 272 from 8am-6pm (SA time), Monday to Friday.
