Fraudulent Support Worker

[Susan1994]

I neeed your help please. A family member is a plan managed NDIS participant. Her Independent Support Worker, despite being generously paid and treated very kindly, unfortunately broke our trust and was able to pass some invoices to the Plan Manager and withdraw approximately $2000 without attending her services or coming to her home. We have been trying for the past 7 months to encourage her to return the stolen funds to the Plan Manager or to organise services with this amount of money. Initially, she only agreed to pay half of the money directly into the participant's personal bank account. When we refused, she simply ignored our subsequent emails and blocked us, assuming we would not follow up.

We have complained to the Commission and NDIS SafeGuard, but apparently this is a common problem with the NDIS and the Commission can't keep up with the fraud cases. So I am thinking of writing a bad review on their Google page detailing their misconduct, also on other NDIS pages so that other participants will not fall for their lies and deceitful character. My main intention is public interest, not money. She has had a very negative impact on the participant's health, losing her confidence and refusing to see a new support worker for 3 months when she was in real and urgent need of help. But I am afraid of the consequences. Could it be considered slander? I don't want to do anything illegal. But I think this is the best way to keep her away from vulnerable people. Is this acceptable if the theft is clear and proven and there are several emails from her offering to return half the amount?

 

[Susan1994]

Any feedback would be hugely appreciated

 

[MDaB]

More details needed, but if you can determine that it is criminal matter, not civil, I would just go to police. If fraud can be proven, this is obviously a criminal matter. Other crimes, such as make false documents can also be associated with Fraud. But as I said, much more detail is needed

From memory, people have been taken to court for defamation and bad Google reviews. I would be careful.

 

[Susan1994]

Thank you so much, I finally got an answer. The fraud is proven, I think, as she offered many times to refund part of the mopney to a personal bank account, which we refused. However, the police will knock back such a matter as its government money and will certainly send us back to the NDIS Commission. It's extremely unlikely that she will be punished, as many people with similar cases have told me. That is why these young unskilled so called support workers keep doing it... but I just want to clear something up from the professional members here, can we write negative feedback about a business or service provider if the fraud is real and you have proof? Can you do that before complaining to the relevant department? It's a really sad situation where you can't even point out someone who has behaved badly and mistreated a vulnerable person without even being able to warn the rest of the community.

 

[MDaB]

A good example states:

Defamation is a false statement presented as a fact that causes injury or damage to the character of the person it is about. An example is “Tom Smith stole money from his employer.” If this is untrue and if making the statement damages Tom's reputation or ability to work, it is defamation.


So, if you are going to make a post, make sure it is true, but more importantly proven.

 

[Susan1994]

Thanks again. Really apprecited