2015 Publications

Public Wi-Fi access is a ubiquitous part of networked life in the modern internet. Wi-Fi hotspots provide fast and convenient internet access for the general public at locations such as coffee shops, libraries and community centres, transportation hubs, and private commercial/social spaces. However public Wi-Fi also provides cyber criminals with a number of convenient attack routes which have been well documented by security researchers.

http://www.midlandsfraudforum.co.uk:80/resources/Documents/Alerts/Public%20Wifi.pdf

The real price of fake products. Whatever they may be – fakes, counterfeits, or forgeries or items which don’t meet the standards imposed to protect us all – illicit products are offered with the intention to defraud and deceive. Not only do they mislead, pretending to be what they are not, not only are they of much poorer quality than the originals, but they can also pose threats to your health and security.

The Committee’s Fourth Report of this Session, published October 28 2015, examines fraud and error in the payment of benefits and tax credits – a significant and long-standing problem. The high levels of fraud and error scrutinised by the Public Accounts Committee are a matter of great concern. Put simply, far too much taxpayers’ money has gone where it shouldn’t – and too little where it should. 

The annual UK IP Crime Report 2014/15 provides an insight into the scale and scope of counterfeiting and piracy in the UK and an overview of the work being undertaken to tackle these threats. It is produced by the UK Intellectual Property Office that established and runs the IP Crime Group – a cohort of representatives from private industry, law enforcement agencies and government departments. The 2014/15 results show that in many areas the growth of IP crime is stabilising, with promising signs that the IP enforcement activities of the group are having an impact.

Open Publications

 The main statistical release and supporting tables and charts provide estimates of fraud and error for benefit expenditure administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). This includes a range of benefits to derive estimates using different methods, as detailed in ‘Our Measurement System’ Estimates of fraud and error for various benefits have been derived using three different methods,

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/426911/Background_and_methodology.pdf

This year’s report presents statistical analysis of the employee fraud trends identified by organisations that share data through the Cifas Internal Fraud Database, as well as a range of features on data sharing, the true cost of insider frauds, psychology of fraudsters, degree fraud, vetting and screening, whistleblowing and instilling an anti-fraud culture inside your organisation.

https://www.cifas.org.uk/secure/contentPORT/uploads/documents/External-Cifas-EmployeeFraudscape2015-onlineversion.pdf

There has been an increase in the number of both large and small organisations experiencing breaches, reversing the slight decrease found last year's report. 90% of large organisations reported they had  suffered a security breach, up from 81% in 2014. 

Open Publication

 This joint inspection has closely scrutinised how well the police and the CPS ensure that quality charging decisions are made. There have been improvements since our 2008 joint inspection, pre-charge bail is now better managed by the police and digital transfer of information has speeded up some parts of the process.

Open Publication

The Government established the Fraud, Error and Debt Taskforce in 2010, with the aim of coordinating cross-Government efforts to tackle these risks, harness new technology, combat fraud and reduce its impact on public finances. This report sets out the extensive and innovative work that our respective departments have put in place to tackle fraud, error and debt in the benefits and tax credits system.

Open Publication

This Code of Practice exists to balance the benefits of sharing data for the purposes of preventing fraud against the rights of the individual. Operating to the conditions set out here ensures that the sharing of data will only be conducted as necessary and proportionate, and that there is adequate protection for the rights of individuals and the public purse.

Open Publication