Do-Over

The threat of the 'fake fishermen': How BP may be
paying out millions in oil spill compensation to fraudsters

BP could be paying millions in compensation to 'fake fishermen', it has been revealed.

So far BP has paid $308million to those whose livelihood has been threatened by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

But to receive compensation, fishermen must display a valid fishing licence - and applications for such licenses have spiked by nearly 60 per cent, despite most fishing grounds being closed by the disaster.

Three people suspected of abusing the system have been arrested in the past week in the U.S. - but there are fears there could be many more such 'fraudsters' at work.

One genuine fisherman even told reporters of being approached by two men who asked him to sign documents for them showing that they had worked for him.

He said he refused - but told the BBC that other captains have been offered thousands to sign similar such documents vouching for fraudsters trying to claim compensation.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has sold 2,200 licenses since the spill, Lt Col Jeff Mayne of the LDWF Law Enforcement Division told the BBC today.

'Originally BP was paying to cheques to just anybody who had a licence and that may have spurred some of the fraud,' he said.

'There were no real checks and balances on whether they were they really commercial fishermen.

'I would like to say I'm surprised, but I'm not. It's a lot easier to go and steal a resource than to rob a bank.'

BP has admitted it is 'likely' that its compensation scheme is being abused by fraudsters.

The company claimed it has set up verification centres examining several hundred cases - and vowed it will catch anyone who milked the system.

A spokesman said that up to ten per cent of compensation cases after any given disaster could be viewed as fraudulent.

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Every time I shake my head in disgust at the behavior of my fellow humanoids, they sink to a new low. If I were God, observing how this experiment has run its course, I'd be getting ready a mass-extinction event, a big old asteroid collision or a coronal mass ejection from the sun to clean the slate and start over with amoebas and stuff. Only God Himself knows what He was hoping for when He created or set up the sequence for humans, but we know that they've been a royal pain-in-the-ass right from the start. I vote for a do-over.