Local councils are quick to prosecute minor offenders for welfare benefit fraud but tend to leave major cases untouched, according to the chairwoman of the benefit fraud investigators association LCSR.

‘Welfare fraud can be worth it,’ Irma Heintzberger says in Thursday’s Trouw. Her members, who investigate suspected fraud on behalf of local government, say many councils simply stop payments if they suspect wrong-doing.

They do not start an investigation into how much money has been stolen or to reclaim the money because this is considered to be too expensive and labour intensive, Heintzberger told the paper.

‘Sometimes we see the same person trying the same tricks in another local authority area,’ she said. ‘It’s easy to do and there is no punishment so fraudsters are being given free rein.’

The LCSR has alerted junior social affairs minister Jetta Klijnsma to the problems. The government tightened up the welfare benefit fraud laws in 2013 and increased the fines but there are still very few criminal prosecutions, Heintsberger said.

According to figures from the social affairs ministry inspectorate, just 35% of suspected welfare fraudsters are fined. By law, everyone caught fiddling benefits should face a fine.