Almost 9 million claimant bank accounts to be put under continuous surveillance

it's not just benefit claimants, it's anyone entitled to a state pension, so almost everyone potentially, it's got to get through the house of lords and survive an election that will be called by the end of the law by automatic operation of law so to speak but could well be May like it often is to double up with local elections, given that all the parties seem to be in feverish campaign mode right now

It won`t be purely for those claiming just the State Pension, because that isn`t means tested. It will be for those claiming State Pension and Pension Credit, the latter of which is means tested.
The problem with events such as this is that the media operates on a "sensationalistic journalism" basis; twisting a story, or event, to make it have more of an impact on those reading the article.

there doin it already, unlegaly.

They could use AI, which would mean less humans having to be employed for such a huge task.

Inevitably this is the future, so billions of people will go out of work, big problems ahead for the human race, giving the rate of it's ever increasing population.