FBI uncover fraud with e-billing

The US Justice Department has indicted 53 people for defrauding the Medicare system, the latest step in a wide-ranging effort to prevent fraud that costs government-funded health programmes billions of dollars each year, says The Washington Post.

Federal agents arrested dozens of people in Miami and Detroit for allegedly submitting Medicare claims for $50 million in treatments that were unneeded and sometimes never provided.

Government analysts working for the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team say they are tackling electronic billing data and crime patterns to better target their efforts.

Nigerian scientists at the Covenant University in Lagos have developed a wireless meter billing solution as well as the Wazobia Position Locator and speed reporter, reports All Africa.com.

The university says the technology reduces the burden of electricity bill gathering and processing, while the Position Locator is an electronic device that identifies locations by using GPS satellite technology.

According to Dr Victor Olugbemiga Matthews from the university's department of electrical and information engineering, the technology is ready to be commercially rolled out and will monitor electricity usage.

Citizens living in the North Hertfordshire district, UK, have benefited from a public-private partnership between the city council and Northgate Information Solutions, following the roll-out of an electronic payment system that has boosted public services, states 24 Dash.

A new e-billing option has provided citizens with the opportunity to view their council tax and business rate bills online, reducing printing and postage costs to the council.

The council says it has delivered major service improvements, realising cashable savings of £866 000 per annum, and these are expected to increase further.