The Local Government Association has emphasised that data security is very important to local government if.  It is now working to produce new guidelines for councils following the major loss of child benefit data by Revenue & Customs.  (Town Hall magazine)     
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21 April 2008

Lie detector software has saved a south London council almost £500,000 it was losing through benefit fraud.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7358846.stm
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21 April 2008

Millions of pounds are being wasted on a scheme aimed at combating passport fraud, the Conservatives have said.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7357975.stm
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21 April 2008

A football referee and linesman who had officiated in 67 matches while claiming mobility and care allowances has been warned he may be jailed.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/7358641.stm
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18 April 2008

A convicted fraudster who masterminded a huge tax scam has been ordered to pay back almost £7m.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/7354640.stm
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17 April 2008

Four people convicted of a £6m holiday fraud have been jailed for between seven and three years.  But how were they able to cheat thousands of holidaymakers out of millions of pounds?  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7353362.stm
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17 April 2008

A Dutch MP says he has given the EU’s anti-fraud office the names of two MEPs he believes have been involved in expenses fraud.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7353362.stm
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17 April 2008

TWO pensioners accused of killing a pair of homeless men to collect millions of dollars in insurance payouts were convicted yesterday of conspiracy to murder.  For the full story log on to: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1054110.ece
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17 April 2008

Unscrupulous thieves who con unsuspecting council tenants into letting them strip lead from their roofs are preying on areas of Leeds, it has been revealed.  Often those being targeted are elderly and vulnerable who are being tricked by the bogus workers into believing they are carrying out genuine repairs , but are in fact simply stealing lead from their roofs.  For the full story log on to: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/localnews/Elderly-targeted-in-roof-repair.3992322.jp
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17 April 2008

Fleet drivers are being advised to be on their guard after it emerged that the number of fraudulent claims being made as a result of stage accidents is increasing.  Estimates by the Insurance Fraud Bureau suggest that the cost of fraudulent claims is now more than £500,000 a day, costs which are passed on in the form of higher premiums. 

Figures obtained exclusively by Fleet News show that fleets operating in cities in the north and Midlands are running the highest risk of being targeted by criminal gangs that stage crashes to defraud insurance companies.

However some areas of Grater London are also becoming fraud hotspots.  Fleets are particularly at risk, as fraudsters target new vehicles on the assumption that they are almost certain to have insurance. 

Whilst staged crashes are still most prevalent in the north, especially along the M62 corridor, the figures show that the practice is becoming increasingly common in many southern areas.

Major motorway junctions near heavily built up areas are the most common sites used by fraudsters to stage accidents, confirmed by the number of claims in the Birmingham area, the country’s second worst affected region. “It doesn’t take much investment to make this pay.  The fraudsters will look for money to cover vehicle damage, replacement costs and personal injuries, which could easily exceed £30,000 per claim”, said Mr Heath   “These fraudsters are running multiple claims each day; they put in volume claims so they can drop some if they are detected.”

On a positive note, detection rates and prosecutions are also increasing.  The establishment of policing bodies such as the National Fraud Review and the Serious Organise Crime Agency have ensured that insurance fraud is high on many police forces’ agenda.   (Fleet News magazine)
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16 April 2008

The Metropolitan police officer is being probed over the misuse of cops’ credit cards.  For the full story log on to: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1048630.ece
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16 April 2008

A benefits cheat had nine-tenths of a £38,893 debt written off by a judge, because it would have taken her 32 years to repay it.  For the full story log on to: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1046907.ece
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15 April 2008

A credit card swindler who conned five-star restaurants, posh hotels and even his girlfriend in brazen scam has been jailed for nine months.  For the full story log on to: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Fraudster-faked-credit-card-payments.3982990.jp
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15 April 2008

Households lost £6.6 billion last year from a mixture of small-print swindles and deliberate cons.  More than a third of Britons say they were left out of pocket in one way or another, according to watchdogs.  For the full story log on to: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/money/city/2008/04/15/households-swindled-out-of-6-6billion-89520-20383967/
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14 April 2008

The next door neighbours of Shannon Matthews, has been arrested on suspicion of fraud.  For the full story log on to: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Now-Shannon-neighbours-quizzed-over.3979328.jp
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14 April 2008

Two people have been arrested by officers investigating benefit fraud in West Yorkshire.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/7346690.stm
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10 April 2008

A collection of paintings worth more than £500,000 is to go on show 10 years after an attempt to steal them.  or the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7341040.stm
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10 April 2008

Four people have been charged after police investigation into suspected election fraud.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/berkshire/7341406.stm
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9 April 2008

A former director of the New York Mercantile Exchange faces jail after admitting fraud linked to commodities trading.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7338221.stm
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8 April 2008

The founder of a website offering sperm to lesbians wanting children has been jailed for 16 months for fraud at Wood Green Crown Court.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7337576.stm
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7 April 2008

A new website has been launched to assist local authorities in protecting themselves and their customers from becoming victims of identity fraud.  The website explains why organisations should be protecting themselves from identity fraud and provides advice on how to do so.  

Anthony Pearlgood, British Security Industry Association, Information Destruction Section chairman, said “Identity fraud is an increasingly serious problem for UK businesses and the public sector, with the crime costing the UK economy £1.7 billion.  On top of the financial implications, becoming a victim of identity fraud can bring further problems in terms of damage to your reputation and loss of customer confidence in your business.  These issues can have serious and lasting consequences. 

“The new website provides essential advice on how to protect your organisation and those that use it from identity fraud.  It covers ways of preventing your mail getting into the wrong hands, IT security issues, how to protect your company’s details at Companies House and the importance of using a professional information destruction company which complies with British Standards to dispose of your confidential waste. By following these basic guidelines, you will go a long way to ensuring that you comply with the Data Protection Act and that identity fraudsters cannot access and misappropriate your confidential data”.  The website is: www.preventidfraud.org.uk (Town Hall magazine)        
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7 April 2008

A mother of four who cheated the Benefits Agency out of almost £23,000 has told a court she used the money to buy her children gifts.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7334651.stm
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7 April 2008

A solicitor who stole more than £1m from a disabled client has been jailed for 10 years.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/7334671.stm
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7 April 2008

The HSBC banking group has admitted losing a computer disc, with the details of 370,000 customers.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7334249.stm
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7 April 2008

A new website which aims to reunite people with lost property has been launched by Avon & Somerset police.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/7334100.stm
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3 April 2008

Thirteen people were arrested in raids by officers investigating allegations of a multi-million pound VAT fraud.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7328237.stm
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3 April 2008

With ID fraud on the rise, the assumption is you’ll lose money which can be claimed back.  But Simon Bunce lost his job, and his father cut off contact, when he was arrested after an ID fraudster used his credit card details on a child porn website.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7326736.stm
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3 April 2008

A hospital employee who claimed she was too ill to work and used false identities to steal nearly £30,000 in benefits has narrowly escaped prison.  Pauline Hussian, who worked at Charing Cross hospital, went by other surnames including Pegg, Kinsey, Burton, Squires and Khan to pursue employment and claim a number of benefits she was not entitled to.  But thanks to a sophisticated fraud busting initiative she was stopped in her tracks.  At Acton Magistrates Court, Hussain was given a 24-month suspended sentence order following a joint prosecution by Hounslow Council and the DWP.  (Hounslow Matters magazine)
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3 April 2008

More than £1million a week is going abroad to pay for ex-pats on Incapacity Benefit.  For the full story log on to: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=555228&in_page_id=1770
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3 April 2008

Fraudsters will be able to receive lower sentences if they admit their crimes under new measures being proposed.  For the full story log on to: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/latest-national-news/Pleabargain-plan-for-fraud-cases.3942396.jp
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3 April 2008

The tax man has been given a pat on the back in the National Audit Office’s review of its efforts to tackle the so called “hidden economy”.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7326911.stm
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2 April 2008

Police in Hereford have issued a warning to people using cash machines after uncovering a fraud which has been going on for three months.  For the full story log to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/7327570.stm
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2 April 2008

Confidential information about security lapses in a council’s benefits section has been released – with passages that might help fraudsters highlighted!  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7327003.stm
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1 April 2008

A former council leader in Worcestershire has appeared in court charged with 15 offences of fraud, deception and theft.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/7325187.stm
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