Public Sector

The former manager of Letchworth BID has been jailed for 20 months after pocketing £60,000 worth of COVID-19 grants.

Christopher Andoh-Wilson, of Brompton Close, Luton, was sentenced at St Albans Crown Court today (Thursday, February 8) having pleaded guilty to five offences of fraud by false representation and one of acquiring criminal property.

https://www.thecomet.net/news/24106821.ex-letchworth-bid-manager-chris-wilson-jailed-fraud/

“By the time an emergency has started, it is usually too late to take all the steps needed," NAO report warns.

Government must improve how it deals with fraud in emergency situations to protect taxpayers’ money, the UK’s spending watchdog has warned, in a report drawing on lessons from the height of the Covid pandemic.

https://www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/article/act-now-to-be-ready-to-tackle-fraud-in-emergencies-government-told

A leading fraud prevention company based in Wales is helping to transform the way degrees are verified, saving universities hundreds of hours of staff time per year and cutting fraud.

Advanced Secure Technologies, whose headquarters are in Cardiff, has partnered with Hedd, UK higher education’s official degree verification service, to automate and streamline the process.

A former assistant head teacher stole thousands of pounds through his school's free meals programme for children in order to fund his gambling addiction.

Daniel Reynolds, 36, created fake invoices for food that was donated to West Earlham Junior School in Norwich for disadvantaged pupils during the school holidays so he could claim grant money.

Investigations into council tax and benefit fraud in Herefordshire jumped nearly fivefold last year. But whether this is due to more crime or just better reporting is unclear.

A new report by the Herefordshire Council’s counter fraud manager Jonathan Nelson says 75 new cases of council tax and benefit fraud were referred to his department in 2023, compared to just 16 the year before.

https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/24073277.council-tax-benefit-fraud-shot-herefordshire/

Over half the fraud detected by the Student Loans Company was at franchised higher education providers, an investigation has found.

The National Audit Office (NAO), the UK’s public spending watchdog, led an investigation into the fraud and abuses of higher education student loans.

https://theboar.org/2024/01/half-of-student-loan-company-fraud-aimed-at-higher-education/

The government is setting its sights on unincorporated businesses that fraudulently took out Bounce Back Loans during the pandemic.

The Department for Business (DBT), the Cabinet Office and HMRC have established a pilot scheme to look for potential fraud committed by sole traders against the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS).

https://www.icaew.com/insights/viewpoints-on-the-news/2024/jan-2024/bounce-back-loan-data-pilot-examines-sole-trader-fraud

Perm sec Peter Schofield tells MPs he doubts department can get back to pre-pandemic levels by 2027-28.

Senior officials at the Department for Work and Pensions have warned MPs the department faces an uphill struggle on fraud-reduction, with a return to pre-pandemic levels no longer expected within the next four years.

https://www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/article/dwp-fraud-uphill-struggle-benefits-universal-credit

Artificial intelligence could reduce the need for civil servants in areas such as fraud detection, help drive up wages and tackle the loss of institutional memory, a Cabinet Office minister has said.

https://www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/article/minister-talks-up-ai-potential-to-cut-fraud-detection-jobs-and-boost-wages

A fraudster who was caught by police making a ‘crudely executed’ attempt to take a driving test for someone else has been sentenced.

Officers from Nottinghamshire Police’s fraud team contacted staff at the Worksop Test Centre to alert them about a practical driving exam due to take place on 24 October 2022.