Anti-fraud checks 'lacking'

Efforts to monitor bogus claims for public assistance were branded as inadequate.

Yeung Yiu-chung of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong said the Privacy Ordinance made it hard to uncover hidden information.

Secretary for Health and Welfare Katherine Fok Lo Shiu-ching said the department had stepped up measures to fight fraudulent claims, especially in view of the case of a multi-millionaire who received assistance before he died.

Special investigation teams had been set up to conduct random checks on Comprehensive Social Security Assistance cases and investigations, she said.

Since opening a hotline, the department has received 1,094 complaints, of which 258 required investigation.