PEOPLE in Kent are being urged to "shop" fraudsters by sending anonymous text messages about them to a new hotline.

The latest weapon in the Department of Work and Pensions' war on benefit cheats has been unveiled by anti-fraud minister Chris Pond, who is also MP for Gravesham.

The mobile phone messaging system was outlined by Mr Pond during a visit to the Social Security offices in Crown Court, Chatham, where he met investigators working in the frontline to combat bogus claimants.

Mr Pond said text messaging had been introduced to encourage more young people to tip-off fraud investigators and would work alongside the traditional telephone hotline.

The minister has welcomed the news that the amount lost to Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance fraudsters in the South East region had been cut from £89 million in 2000/01 to £81 million in 2001/2.

Mr Pond said the Government was determined to drive the figure down even further. He urged the public to get involved and join the fight on fraud by reporting those responsible.

The £81 million being fraudulently claimed each year would pay the salaries of 2,613 nurses or 2,341 teachers, he said.

"Fraud is not a victimless crime. Public money stolen by swindlers could be spent on other services like hospitals and schools," he said. "Fraudsters are not the loveable rogues they might like people to see them as.

"It's theft and should be treated as such. We will prosecute persistent offenders."

From April 2002 to March 2003, about 2,500 cases of suspected fraud were reported to the fraud hotline in the South East region, which covers Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, South Surrey, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Suspected fraudsters can be reported by calling the National Benefit Fraud Hotline on 0800 854440 or by sending a mobile phone text message to 0772 149 4909.

Any information supplied remains anonymous but callers are asked to include sufficient detail for investigators to act on.