Receptionist sentenced for $30,000 Medicare fraud using phantom patients
Erin Grant, a medical receptionist, made 108 fraudulent Medicare claims totalling almost $30,000 by creating phantom patient appointments and pocketing the rebates.
Erin Fay Melissa Grant worked at Bellerive Doctors in Tasmania when she committed the fraud between August 2021 and April 2022. Grant entered false patient details into the system, claiming people had attended appointments and paid in cash.
Grant then lodged fraudulent Medicare claims and redirected the rebate payments to her personal ING debit card. To hide the scam, she cancelled the fake appointments so the practice's records stayed balanced.
In some instances, she recorded herself as the patient. The fraud involved eight doctors across the practice.
A doctor noticed irregularities in consultation records and reported it to Tasmania Police. Grant was sentenced to one year's home detention.
She had a prior fraud conviction in 2013.
- Almost $30,000
- Amount stolen
- 108 charges
- Fraudulent claims
- August 2021 to April 2022
- Period
- 8 across the practice
- Doctors involved
Why it mattersA sophisticated scam that defeated basic checks by erasing fake appointments from records shows how trusted staff with system access can steal from Medicare and their employer.
AustraliaMedicare fraud costs the taxpayer millions each year. This case shows how practice staff can exploit the system from inside, underscoring the importance of oversight and proper reconciliation.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 8 h ago
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