The Council is responsible for paying out millions of pounds each year in Housing and Council Tax Benefit on approximately 8000 claims. These benefits are paid from money collected from Council Tax and Income Tax. So every tax payer is paying more for people who are claiming benefit when they shouldn't. It is estimated that benefit fraud costs the average taxpayer £70 each year, with a national cost in benefit fraud of over £1.5 billion.

We recognise that dealing with fraud is important and we have a duty to make sure our benefit system is as secure as possible. By maintaining systems to check and investigate claims we aim to secure the public funds we deal with. 

What is Housing and Council Tax Benefit fraud?

Sometimes people do not give us the correct details, so get more benefit or reduce the amount of rent and council tax they pay.

Fraud is committed when a person claiming benefit doesn't tell us their full circumstances when they first claim or they don't tell us about changes to their circumstances after the claim is made. 

People who make false claims or do not tell us of changes when they happen, will not only have to repay any overpaid benefit but may also be prosecuted for offences under the Social Security Administration Act, Fraud Act or the Theft Act.

What types of benefit fraud do people commit?

There are different ways benefit fraud may happen. These include when the person claiming doesn't tell us

• The full or real income of their household
• The correct amount of savings or capital they have
• If a partner, or other adults live with them
• If they own another property or land
• If they have moved out

Fraud may also be committed if

• The person pretends to rent a property that they actually own
• The person pretends to be paying more rent than they actually do
• The landlord doesn't tell us their tenants have moved out and still accepts the Housing Benefit payments
• Someone asks to have their post delivered to an address, but they live elsewhere.
• Someone asks an employer to sign a form to say they earn less than actually do.

These are only some of the types of fraud which may be committed. It should be remembered all types of people, young and old, disabled or fit may commit fraud.

If you suspect anyone has not told us their true circumstances, they could be committing fraud. Tell us by using the Report Benefit Fraud link opposite.

What are we doing to tackle fraud?

The council has a fraud strategy  which covers three key areas.

• Prevent - seek to stop fraud entering the system by regular anti fraud staff training and actively promoting Government initiatives including the claim verification framework
• Deter - by publishing our efforts on prosecutions, cautions and administrative penalties on successful cases.
• Detect - to find fraud using all the ways we have at our disposal. This will include computer data matching with other systems, investigating cases referred to us by the general public and by working closely with other organisations.

  For more details about the types of sanctions we can apply, see the document "What action we can take against fraud" . 

To achieve the aims of this strategy the Council has its own dedicated Benefits Fraud Team to investigate all claims where it is suspected fraud may have taken place. The team include professionally trained investigators who carry out surveillance, gather information and conduct Interviews under Caution in accordance with the Police & Criminal Evidence Act 1984.

The team work closely with the Department for Work and Pensions and other Government agencies such as the Pension Service, HM Revenues and Customs and the Police.

Investigators use many ways to gather information about suspected fraud. This may mean contacting employers, banks, credit companies and other organisations to help with their enquiries.

For details on the performance of the Benefits Fraud Team work please look at the linked document - "Fraud Team performance".

What can you do about fraud in Huntingdonshire?

We need your help to maintain our success in tackling and stopping benefit fraud. Remember, benefit fraud costs you the taxpayer every time someone abuses the system.

If you know that someone is abusing the benefits system by making a false claim or giving incorrect details, please tell us. Any information you give us will be treated in confidence and you do not have to tell us who you are. The more information you give us the better.

If it is discovered that you have made a report against someone with malicious intent, action will be taken against you. Such allegations cause unnecessary distress to those accused, they also waste time and money that could be spent on genuine investigations.

To tell us about a suspected fraud in the Huntingdonshire area you can:

• Telephone the Fraud Hotline on 01480 388188 (24 hour line)
• Complete our on-line Report Benefit Fraud form or email us - see related information for details 
• visit us or write to us at Pathfinder House