Our nation is riddled with welfare cheats, the types of people rorting the system ripping off tax payers left, right and centre.

Recently a task force was set up to target scammers in South Australia, particularly cracking down on Adelaide’s north suburbs including Salisbury, Craigmore and Elizabeth where the government believes organised crime is behind the fraud.

But it’s not just a problem in Adelaide, but an issue sweeping the nation.

Other hotspots include Rockdale in NSW, Werribee in Victoria, the Caboolture/Deception Bay region and Ipswich areas in Queensland.

Last year the AFP and Department of Human Services launched a Taskforce Integrity to crackdown on fraudsters while clawing back about $2 million from welfare cheats in South Australia alone.

It’s believed the taskforce has found more than $20 million in money is owed to the government, and 150 cases of suspected fraud are under further investigation nation-wide.

The taskforce will be prevalent in both Salisbury and Elizabeth this week where it plans to hunt down cheats as well as educating people of their obligations.

While Human Services Minister Alan Tudge said most people are honest, some still rort the system.

“The consequences for those who are caught are serious,” he said.

“My message for the few people doing the wrong thing is it’s only a matter of time until you are caught — you can end up with a possible prosecution, a criminal record and even a prison sentence.

“During the election campaign, we announced further measures to crack down on welfare fraud — we are absolutely committed to protecting taxpayer funds and Taskforce Integrity is a key contributor to this effort.”

SA Police have detected 15 cases of suspected fraud in Craigmore since April and 835 people in the area have been overpaid.

The taskforce is looking into unexplained wealth, deliberately undeclared income and personal circumstances including couples who lie about being single to get money.

The issue is causing a riff between those truly eligible for Newstart Allowance, Disability Support Pension, Youth Allowance and Parenting Payments, and those who defraud the system.

The AFP has arrested and charged seven individuals for criminal fraud-related matters.