Melton Borough Council supports International Fraud awareness week

Melton Borough Council is a supporter of International Fraud Awareness Week 2022. International Fraud Awareness Week (13-19 November 2022) is an opportunity for organisations and communities to come together to look at how far reaching the effects of fraud can be. Billions of pounds are estimated to be lost to fraud against public services in the UK. The types of fraud that can be committed against councils are wide ranging.

Examples of corporate fraud can include

• staff making false statements for gain;
• pay and other expenses claims;
• accepting bribes contrary to the Bribery Act 2010;
• theft of cash and assets by officers;
• contractors falsifying certificates of work done or submitting false invoices.

Examples of frauds committed by the general public are:

• false statements on grant claims or not using grants for the purpose intended;
• Housing Benefit fraud;
• Council Tax declarations such as falsely claiming single occupancy;
• electoral fraud;
• council housing tenants unlawfully subletting;
• false statements on right to buy applications;

Councillor Don Pritchett, Chair for the Audit and Standards Committee says “councillors and officers take fraud prevention and investigation very seriously. The council has Counter Fraud and Whistleblowing policies and regular awareness information is provided for staff. We aim to ensure that all of our processes are robust and that checks and controls are consistently operating and the council also participates in data matching exercises designed to highlight potential frauds. Processes are updated if required following regular risk assessments”.

All suspicions of fraud are investigated, and if substantiated there is zero tolerance, the relevant response is taken, whether that be criminal or civil and the recovery of any monies lost will be pursued.  The council remains vigilant to fraud at all times”.

If anyone suspects fraud is being committed against Melton Borough Council please report.

• Council Tax or Business Rates: This can include fraudulent claiming of discounts or relief and should be reported by emailing reportfraud@melton.gov.uk
• Housing or tenancy: This can include subletting or abandonment of council homes, or fraudulent applications and should be reported by emailing reportfraud@melton.gov.uk
• Corporate: Council contractors or staff suspected of committing fraud should be reported by reportfraud@melton.gov.uk
• Benefits: Benefit fraud should be reported to the Department for Work and Pensions-  via www.gov.uk/report-benefit-fraud
• Electoral: This should be reported to the police on their non-emergency number (101) as quickly as possible
• Cybercrime: This should be reported to Action Fraud online via- www.actionfraud.police.uk

Melton Borough Council encourages people to report suspicions of fraud, so that those responsible can be stopped.  If you are unsure where to raise a concern, please contact reportfraud@melton.gov.uk or telephone 01664 502502. We take confidentiality seriously so referrers can request that their identity not be disclosed during investigations.

We would also encourage everyone to do what they can to protect themselves and others from fraud.  Guidance is available from Take Five - To Stop Fraud (www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk) which provides some helpful advice and guidance on being alert to the risks that fraud poses to individuals and businesses.

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For more information please contact:

Email: Communications@melton.gov.uk