Is someone profiting from your loved one's care benefits? This family's fear could be your warning sign!

*Names have been changed to protect individuals' privacy.

Navigating the complexities of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) can be challenging enough without the added worry of potential exploitation.

For many Australian families, the NDIS provides essential support for loved ones with disabilities, but it can also, unfortunately, make them targets for unscrupulous providers.

The distressing experience of one family whose son's substantial NDIS plan became a magnet for questionable care providers serves as a cautionary tale for all of us in the Seniors Discount Club community.


The family of Mike*, a 27-year-old with an acquired brain injury and schizoaffective disorder, has been living a nightmare.

Mike's* NDIS plan, valued at a staggering $670,000 per year, was intended to ensure he received round-the-clock care, allied health services, and suitable accommodation.

Instead, it seems to have painted a target on his back for those looking to profit from his vulnerability.


photo_20241223_090205_0000.png
The family of a 27-year-old NDIS participant fears he's being exploited by unethical providers after leaving his authorised carer for uncertain conditions with a new provider. Credit: Carers Australia


Eric*, Mike’s* father, is worn out. Strangers surround Mike's* hospital bed, urging Mike* to join their disability care facility.

These men are NDIS operators, but they are not Mike's authorised provider.

This situation has occurred many times for Mike's family, where unethical providers persuade him to leave with them, causing his family not to see him for months.


Eric* stepped outside Sunshine Hospital in Melbourne's west with the two men for a conversation.

‘What's the go?’ he asked the strangers. ‘We don't know who you are…Who are you?’

They didn't provide their names but claimed to be support workers who had been caring for Mike* for the past two days. They asserted that Mike* wanted their care.

‘No-one's going to force nothing down his throat, so it's all good, there is no issues,’ Eric* said. ‘I'm saying we can all sit down and work something out.’

They dismissed any concerns from Mike's* family about the legitimacy of their operation, insisting that they were only worried his authorised providers might be mistreating him.

‘He's got problems with whoever you guys employ, whatever's going on,’ one of the men stated.


The men are among those who have been looking after Mike* since he left his supported independent living home to spend time with some ‘friends’ in late November.

Mike's* authorised NDIS provider, Amina*, stated that she stayed in touch with him for a few days after and suspected he was using illicit drugs.

On the third day, Mike* told her he wasn't returning.

‘He said there were people that were willing to still take care of him, and he was happy with them, and he didn't want to go into it because he didn't want to ruffle his mother's feathers,’ Amina said.

This is a common issue for individuals with mental health conditions, who are vulnerable to being persuaded by various, often unethical, NDIS providers offering the promise of better living conditions.


Last year, NDIS Minister Bill Shorten vowed to eliminate this type of ‘human trafficking’ within the scheme. Mike's* family fears his situation highlights that it is still occurring.

‘I do feel it's like a type of kidnapping. I really do,’ Mike’s* mum, Sarah* remarked.

‘It's almost like it's a consensual kidnapping because…they'll be offering him [things] that will keep him there.’

What's driving these groups is the high-paying NDIS packages.

Mike's* $670,000 annual plan is intended to cover 24-hour care, allied health services, and accommodation.

However, due to gaps in the NDIS payment and safeguarding systems, Mike's* family claims he is at risk of being exploited by providers who will take the money without delivering the necessary support.


The reason the two men brought Mike* to Sunshine Hospital on December 4, seven days after leaving Amina's* care, remains unclear.

Amina* believes the hospital had her contact details, so they called her to inform her that Mike* was there, and she subsequently notified his parents.

Even though Mike's* family requested the hospital not to discharge him without their consent, he checked himself out on December 5.

His family has not seen him since. Western Health stated it could not comment on individual patients.


Based on what his family has gathered, Mike* has stayed at several homes around his hospital visit, including one in Glenroy, in Melbourne's north, and another in nearby Hadfield.

During this period, the individuals with Mike* have continuously changed the name of the NDIS provider they claim to represent, stating that Mike* no longer wants care from his current provider, Amina*.

His parents and Amina* are worried that he hasn't been taking his medication.

‘It's a s*******. It's actually scary; this is a human being essentially kidnapped, and [a] whole family doesn't know where he is,’ Amina* said.


Charlotte Jones, CEO of the Mental Health Legal Centre, which assists individuals with psychosocial issues, stated that this is a common tactic used by unethical providers.

‘Often moving around is to destabilise the relationships that they have established. It also destabilises them from environments that they know,’ Ms Jones explained.

‘It could be seen as their choice and control, but that choice and control is being manipulated through coercive control.’


When contacted, the provider refused to disclose their name but stated they had taken Mike* to the hospital when needed and had also taken him to the police station for a welfare check.

They emphasised that Mike* no longer wanted to return to his previous provider.

The police, however, stated they could not confirm these events due to privacy concerns.

The provider mentioned they were willing to meet with Mike's* family, but Sarah* confirmed she did not want to engage with them, explaining she had no intention of speaking to anyone who acted in such a manner.

‘Any legitimate provider would not keep their location a secret or lie about who they work for,’ she pointed out.


For Amina*, the situation has been equally terrifying for her and her staff.

On the night Eric* confronted the men outside Sunshine Hospital, a window at her business's Langwarrin location was shattered.

The garden was uprooted and scattered across the car park, with a shovel left behind.

Amina* believes this was a warning from the other NDIS provider, urging her not to try to retain Mike* as a client.

‘We've been at that property well over a year and a half, and we've never had something like this happen,’ she shared.

‘And it's very scary. It's scary enough to…worry about my workers, but now I'm stressing about our clients.’

When this was raised with the provider who was currently looking after Mike*, they firmly denied any involvement.

Nevertheless, Amina* admitted she is frightened. She informed Mike's* mum that she can no longer offer him support due to concerns for her safety.

None of the individuals involved wished to be identified for the same reason. The police have stated they are investigating the damage.


This isn't the first time Mike's* family has lost contact with him after he was taken in by individuals his family had concerns about.

For much of last year, he stayed with various providers who kept him in a shared house in Maidstone, Melbourne's west, depleting his $460,000 plan by billing the NDIS for support services.

At the same time, they were reportedly providing him with drugs like GHB and ice, along with vapes, to keep him under their control.

‘That time was just an absolute nightmare,’ Sarah* lamented.


At that time, Mike* had full control over his NDIS funds and the providers he chose to spend them with.

However, earlier this year, after nearly a year of complaints from his family, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), which oversees the scheme, placed his mum in charge of managing his plan's funds.

The NDIS Commission, responsible for safeguarding NDIS participants, also eventually banned four individuals from the scheme due to Mike's* mistreatment.

Sarah* expressed her shock at the lack of action taken by both the NDIA and the NDIS Commission during that period.

‘They didn't take it seriously enough, and they failed to safeguard their participant,’ she claimed.


From March this year until Mike* left Amina's* care in November, Sarah* stated that he had consistent and reliable support.

‘We know that [Amina's* company] take him to the beach regularly, that he gets his exercise, we know that he eats well…they've done an excellent job,’ she stated.

However, things began to change in October when various individuals, including one of the banned providers, began contacting Mike* by phone and using drugs with him, according to Amina*.

She added that Mike* suddenly started asking about the balance on his NDIS plan and expressed that he should have control over the funding.

‘It was honestly all centred around drugs…and we noticed there was people in his ear,’ Amina said.


Since Mike* left Amina's* care, the providers currently with him have been calling his mum, asking her to transfer control to them so they can receive payment, but Sarah* has refused.

Mike's* family notified the NDIS Commission as soon as he left Amina's* care, but they claim they were told the investigation would take a few months.

‘I feel like they are negligent of their care, and I feel like they are not adequately resourced to be able to go after these people,’ Sarah* lamented.

A spokesperson for the NDIA stated that the agency had ‘taken action to ensure the participant's welfare and has engaged directly with him to ensure his support needs are being met’.

Catherine Myers, a Deputy Commissioner at the NDIS Commission, said in a statement that ‘safeguarding of participants is a core responsibility that we take very seriously’, but since the investigation is ongoing, they could not provide further comment.


Charlotte Jones noted that while the NDIA and NDIS Commission have made progress in addressing unethical providers over the past year, she is concerned that their success in some areas is causing these providers to shift tactics.

Ms Jones explained that residents of state-run boarding houses in Victoria, known as supported residential services (SRSs), were once the main targets.

However, with those services now under closer scrutiny, she worries that unscrupulous providers are now seeking out other vulnerable individuals.

‘We've still got a lot of people who are at risk, who've got alcohol and drug backgrounds, and they're easier to find than (SRS residents) at the moment,’ she stated.


The government has passed the first phase of legislation aimed at strengthening the NDIS Commission's authority to protect participants' safety.

Ms Jones expressed hope that this would lead to stricter standards for registered providers, ensuring they are properly qualified and act ethically.

However, these upcoming changes do little to assist Mike's* family in their current situation.

Sarah* expressed frustration that the agencies overseeing the NDIS were not doing enough for her family, saying it shouldn't be their responsibility to fend off unethical providers.

With Christmas approaching, she fears that any investigations into her son's whereabouts by the NDIS Commission or NDIA will be delayed, leaving them to spend another holiday season without him.

‘We will be the ones still sat in a great big abyss like we were last year,’ Sarah* said.
Key Takeaways
  • The family of a 27-year-old NDIS participant fears he is being exploited by unscrupulous providers after he left his authorised carer and began living in uncertain conditions under the care of a new provider.
  • The NDIS plan of the participant, worth $670,000 a year, makes him a target for providers seeking to control his funds, leading to concerns of 'consensual kidnapping' due to enticing offers made to him.
  • The family and the authorised NDIS provider are concerned about the participant's well-being, as he has been moving between different addresses and may not be receiving proper care or medication.
  • The participant's previous engagement with unethical providers who drained his NDIS funds while allegedly supplying him with drugs underscores the vulnerability of high-value NDIS participants and the need for more robust safeguarding mechanisms.
Have you or someone you know experienced the same with their loved one? What are your thoughts on this issue? Let us know your stories and insights in the comments below.
 

Seniors Discount Club

Sponsored content

Info
Loading data . . .
As soon as the government announced the NDIS scheme the vultures/thieves began planning. The government does it every time.

The same when they turned retirement homes over to the private sector with no control over them. Look at what happened there.

Same with iverseas student vusas and the "Visa/Migrant" lawyers. Government has allowed them to proliferate and rort and con the system. Everybody in the street knows they're dodgy so why were they allowed to set up shop everywhere.

Whenever government turns its responsibilities over to the private sector the crooks rub their hands together in glee. Another way to exploit the system.

It's the same with the 15% liw cost housing Minns announced that's been watered diwn to 3%. That'll end up being zero because the developers have bullied him into submission because they don't want to build them.

And who ends up paying for all this? The taxpayer. You and me. The honest joes. The politicians certainly don't. And there lies the problem. Politicians are shirking and disposing of all their responsibilities without being held responsible. We really don't need them anymore. They are freeloaders. Even Bill Shorten has cut and is running.
 
I am an advocate & Plan Nominee for a gentleman who has just been moved into a more suitable home for his needs. A couple of weeks ago I received a call from one of the "new" employees who asked me to agree and say yes to the NDIS representative they had already on the phone. He said I was so busy that he would take control of the NDIS plan and make sure this gentleman would have the best of everything he needed. I said I was not going to do that as the the plan was "Plan Managed", he constantly argued and told me it wasn't. The NDIS representative was on the phone the entire time this "some what" heated discussion was going on. After a while the NDIS representative spoke up and informed him - the provider - that the plan was "Plan Managed", then she asked me what access did I wish this provider to have. I informed her -"only to the section he was entitled to and nothing more", she thanked me and set her system for that provider to only have access to that section of funds. I am extremely fortunate, as prior to retiring I worked for DHHS and was involved in the handover of the disability system to the private system. I feel so sorry for all those people out there who have no idea or understand how the system works, or even the termanology used within it. I find the NDIS system very hard to work out at times, thats why I have included a Plan Coordinator and Plan Manager - extremely trusted - into the gentlemans plan to help me navigate the system.
 
I have always said it’s time to re-think these sorts of schemers. I don’t know how, but by building residential homes in a gated community, where vulnerable people live happily, peacefully and without hassle. All finances pooled together. Meaning all maintenance, assistance and welfare is deducted by a well known accounting business (must be star rated) .
This sounds over the top, and far fetched, but what’s the answer anyway?
 
The solution is simple, cut off his disability payments, and when he resurfaces take strict control of his care.
That would be the worst way of the recipient receiving care, once his payments stop the people who have supposedly taken over his care will just kick him to the curb and he will end up on the street.
 
I have always said it’s time to re-think these sorts of schemers. I don’t know how, but by building residential homes in a gated community, where vulnerable people live happily, peacefully and without hassle. All finances pooled together. Meaning all maintenance, assistance and welfare is deducted by a well known accounting business (must be star rated) .
This sounds over the top, and far fetched, but what’s the answer anyway?
It doesn't matter that the accounting company is star rated, they only pay the bills. Its all the providers,

those that provide the actual house and look after maintenance, (think renting) -
those that look after utilities and general household expenses - white good, cleaning products and everyday general food expenses, garden maintenance etc.
provide house staff, (worked out on a ratio of how much assistance that person requires during a 24 hour period, calculated by the hour.)
provide staff to take them out,
physio,
OT,
people who work out behaviour support, If needed
speech pathologists and nutritionists
etc.

All the above are separate providers and all require paying.
A lot of people think its much easier to put the entire lot together in the hands of one provider, with usually the provider who supplied the actual house. They take all the funds and distribute it only to where they think its absolutely required, coming out at the end of the plan with a healthy profit, and your loved ones being skimmed.
That's why I have a Plan Coordinator who helps me with all the above, although I am a Plan Nominee who has had quite a number of years in the system.
 
  • Like
Reactions: natalielocket
The problem is also enhanced by those NDIS recipients who have either lost contact with relatives or do not have any living relatives to assist them. These people could be easy prey for unscrupulous care providers.
 
It doesn't matter that the accounting company is star rated, they only pay the bills. Its all the providers,

those that provide the actual house and look after maintenance, (think renting) -
those that look after utilities and general household expenses - white good, cleaning products and everyday general food expenses, garden maintenance etc.
provide house staff, (worked out on a ratio of how much assistance that person requires during a 24 hour period, calculated by the hour.)
provide staff to take them out,
physio,
OT,
people who work out behaviour support, If needed
speech pathologists and nutritionists
etc.

All the above are separate providers and all require paying.
A lot of people think its much easier to put the entire lot together in the hands of one provider, with usually the provider who supplied the actual house. They take all the funds and distribute it only to where they think its absolutely required, coming out at the end of the plan with a healthy profit, and your loved ones being skimmed.
That's why I have a Plan Coordinator who helps me with all the above, although I am a Plan Nominee who has had quite a number of years in the system.
I do agree with your answer. The whole system needs strict guidelines, anyone abusing that, should be fired with no reference. Another criteria would be English speaking that everyone can UNDERSTAND, not just cheap labour. It sounds impossible, but people with endless money could help our unfortunate ones who rely on total care.
Years ago, I visited England, and saw a video on a project like this, and it worked. We were prepared to sell everything and be caretakers for a home. Until I was informed that the Australian government says it’s illegal. Come on, start somewhere, a jumper is not a jumper till you cast on and get going.
 

Join the conversation

News, deals, games, and bargains for Aussies over 60. From everyday expenses like groceries and eating out, to electronics, fashion and travel, the club is all about helping you make your money go further.

Seniors Discount Club

The SDC searches for the best deals, discounts, and bargains for Aussies over 60. From everyday expenses like groceries and eating out, to electronics, fashion and travel, the club is all about helping you make your money go further.
  1. New members
  2. Jokes & fun
  3. Photography
  4. Nostalgia / Yesterday's Australia
  5. Food and Lifestyle
  6. Money Saving Hacks
  7. Offtopic / Everything else
  • We believe that retirement should be a time to relax and enjoy life, not worry about money. That's why we're here to help our members make the most of their retirement years. If you're over 60 and looking for ways to save money, connect with others, and have a laugh, we’d love to have you aboard.
  • Advertise with us

User Menu

Enjoyed Reading our Story?

  • Share this forum to your loved ones.
Change Weather Postcode×
Change Petrol Postcode×