We are committed to tackling benefit fraud and aim to stop as much benefit fraud as we can. This is how we do this:

Prevention

We have put strict controls in place for new benefit claims, this includes providing extensive evidence about:

  • your identity
  • how much you have in savings
  • your earnings 
  • who lives in the household

These are provided before the housing benefit or Council Tax Reduction is assessed.

Checking

We carry out reviews and visits during the course of a claim to help ensure that the evidence provided is accurate.

Detection

Our professionally trained investigators use a range of far-reaching powers including checking: 

  • employment details 
  • investments
  • savings
  • bank accounts 
  • utility bills 

In more serious cases they will undertake surveillance of suspected fraudsters. This helps to uncover and investigate allegations of benefit fraud received from members of the public, staff, elected members, other government departments and from the results of national and local data matching.

Data matching

The law requires us to protect the public funds we administer. We may share information held with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds, to prevent and detect fraud and errors.

The Department for Work and Pensions and the Cabinet Office are responsible for carrying out data matching exercises and we are required to participate. 

Our investigation team also work closely with external partners in the Department for Work and Pensions and Metropolitan Police. A range of actions are available when fraud has been proven, including prosecution, formal cautions and financial penalties, which are known as administrative penalties.

If you have reason to suspect that someone is fraudulently claiming council tax reduction, you can report benefit fraud to us.