Echuca man fined $85,000 for compensation fraud

The court heard Stott was working as a highway truck driver when he was seriously injured in an accident in 2014 and began receiving weekly workers’ compensation payments.

The fraud was discovered in December 2018 after Stott posted on social media about a new role as an interstate driver.

An investigation revealed that Stott had earned approximately $55,000 as a truck driver for five different trucking companies between February 2017 and August 2018, while continuing to tell his doctor, insurer and an independent medical examiner that he was not returning to work.

Jason Lardelli, executive director of Return to Work Victoria, said there is no excuse for this level of dishonesty.

“Our workers’ compensation system exists to help those who truly need it to support their recovery and return to work,” Lardelli said.

“The Victorian public expects us to safeguard these funds and those who actively seek to cheat the system by using it for personal gain will be held to account.”