HMRC says £3.5bn of furlough payments could have been stolen or paid out in error
Billions of pounds could have been paid out in wrong or fraudulent claims for the furlough scheme.The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has supported millions of workers and employers during the coronavirus pandemic.The furlough scheme, which was set up in a bid to protect jobs during the pandemic, will come to an end in October at a cost of more than £34bn to the Treasury.HM Revenue and Customs said last month that it was investigating thousands of reports of furlough fraud following the arrest of a man, the first in connection with an alleged £495,000 fraud of the scheme.Now, HMRC boss Jim Harra has said that the government believes it may have paid out up to £3.5 billion in wrong or fraudulent claims for the furlough scheme.Speaking in