It could have been a case of art imitating life or even life online imitating art, but the case of a North Island beneficiary being sprung on Facebook had the makings of a classic whodunnit novel.
A young mother was convicted after using the internet to declare a relationship she was concealing from welfare authorities.
Mt Maunganui's Lauren Kaney (22) had told Work and Income New Zealand that she was single, picking up $480 a week in benefits as a solo mum.
But investigators who scrutinised her Bebo and Facebook pages found the truth: she was living in a relationship with the father of her 2-year-old son, entitling her to only $140 a week.
The Ministry of Social Development confirmed to the New Zealand Herald that it has an eight-strong intelligence unit using tools, such as Facebook and Bebo, to chase down fraud tip-offs.
The disclosure came as the Minister of Social Development, Paula Bennett, signalled a tougher stance on benefit fraud. She has called on ministry staff to prepare a report on the issue, which costs taxpayers about $60 million a year.
About 15 months ago, Mack-Line warned about the dangers of posting things online that you could later come to regret. In that case, it was more to do with young people getting totally wasted and allowing friends to photograph them and upload the evidence on social networking sites.
Employers had started trawling through the sites to add some colour to any job application received. Overseas reports had uncovered some embarrassing details that many people wished had disappeared as the hangover receded.
The funny thing about the internet is no matter how easy it is to post online, the difficulty is having the material removed. Sure, Facebook, Bebo and other sites can remove offending material, but Mack-Line has examples where the photos or text have been copied and reissued - time and again.
You are not safe on the streets when your best friend has a mobile phone equipped with camera capabilities.
Facebook has doubled in size in just eight months, suggesting it is rapidly becoming the web's dominant social ecosystem and an essential personal and business networking tool. Politicians here and abroad sign up.
United States President Barack Obama regularly communicates with millions of voters on his Facebook site.
Although it is struggling to keep up with the momentum of hot new start-ups like Twitter, Facebook's growth is a great accomplishment. More than 100 million members belong to Facebook. The site promises to change how we communicate.
Facebook helps us reconnect with old friends and strengthen new friendships even if the glue appears to be crazy photos of old teachers or playground pranks.
As the recession continues, social networking sites have become popular with people seeking jobs after being laid off.
Like many other laid-off workers, some former Microsoft employees were connecting through Facebook. One group recently had 196 members and included posts that ranted, lamented and offered advice. Recruiters have also found their way to the social networking groups to advertise jobs.
Which brings me back to the theme which I continue to stress: that if you are going to post pictures from Friday night drinks on your social networking site, be prepared for them to be viewed by prospective employers if you apply for a new job.
Lauren Kaney thought it was a bit mean of Winz staff to snoop online and find she had been claiming an extra benefit. You would have to think that a few more examples are about to be made.
