Advisers in community-based organisations such as Citizens Advice will have direct access to their client's benefits records as a result of a national plan to join up their IT systems with those of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), eGovernment Bulletin has learned. For the full details follow the link Community Groups Access.htm. 
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14 August 2007

A City secretary has escaped a jail sentence after admitting stealing almost £18,000 from an investment bank.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6946119.stm
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13 August 2007

Concern that criminals could use personal financial data from a Government website to commit ID frauds was aired today.  For the full story log on to: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/dmstandard/frame.html?in_bottom=http:%2F%2Fwww.thisismoney.co.uk%2Fnews%2Findex.html%3Fin_page_id%3D2&in_page_id=1804
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13 August 2007

Newcastle City Council has confessed to the release of up to 54,000 credit and debit card details on to an un-secure server.  The error came to light after the authority hired an independent expert to test its systems.  However, the council stresses, that there is no indication that there has been any fraud or misuse following this breech.  (Town Hall magazine)
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13 August 2007

The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) has taken a key step forward in the first procurements for the National ID scheme, publishing a notice in the Official Journal of the European Union inviting expressions of interest from potential suppliers.  (Town Hall magazine)
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 13 August 2007

Over half a million sets of fingerprints, equivalent to a set checked every 30 seconds 24 hours a day, have been taken from visa applicants since the roll-out programme, which could be the forerunner for a national identity card, began last year.

Compulsory fingerprinting is now part of the UK visa application process in just under half of the countries of the world.  Through the introduction of this measure, designed to strengthen border control, over 6,000 sets of prints have been quickly and successfully matched to individuals who are of concern.  (Town Hall magazine)  
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13 August 2007

Sir John Bourn head of the National Audit Office, has qualified his opinion on the Department for Work and Pensions accounts for the eighteenth consecutive year.  This is because an estimated £2.5bn has been lost to fraud and error n benefit payments and because of uncertainties over the debts created by customers being overpaid.  Across the benefit schemes operated by DWP a total of £690m was lost to fraud, £1,010m to customer error, and £850m to official error.  (Town Hall magazine)
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13 August 2007

Business fraud is becoming more attractive because of growing rewards and falling chances of prosecution, according to BDD Stoy Hayward.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6944462.stm
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9 August 2007

Nigeria is introducing a chip-based e-passport to check growing cases of forgery and identity theft, the immigration chief says.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6938757.stm
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8 August 2007

Motorists in Northern Ireland are running the gauntlet of contaminated fuel when they buy petrol or diesel from some filling stations.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6936749.stm
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8 August 2007

A Londonderry doctor has said up to 20,000 people could be living in County Donegal but fraudulently claiming free health care in Northern Ireland.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6936311.stm#
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6 August 2007

An employee at the United Nations headquarters in New York has been arrested on suspicion of visa fraud.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6934208.stm
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6 August 2007

A computer business graduate has been jailed for nine months after making more than £10,000 advertising items he did not own on web auction site Ebay.  For the full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6933967.stm
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3 August 2007

A couple are facing jail today after stealing the names of 23 dead children to fraudulently claim more than £1million in benefits.  For the full story log on to: http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007350816,00.html
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2 August 2007

A woman who made tens of thousands of pounds selling non-existent holidays on eBay has been jailed for 18 months.  For the full story log on to: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/dmstandard/frame.html?in_bottom=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisismoney.co.uk%2Fsaving-and-banking%2Farticle.html%3Fin_article_id%3D422730%26in_page_id%3D7%26ct%3D5
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2 August 2007

Two men and a woman are to appear in court in Northampton charged with conspiracy to defraud.  For t he full story log on to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/northamptonshire/6927525.stm
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