Fraud
What is fraud?
“Fraud is a criminal activity where deception is used for personal gain or to cause a loss.”
Billions of pounds are lost every year to fraud across the UK Public Sector. Why does this matter? Because every pound lost to fraud is a pound less that can be spent on delivering services. Committing fraud against the Council directly impacts the services provided to the residents of Ceredigion.
Ceredigion County Council has a duty to the public to safeguard money that should be used in the public interest. And as such, has a zero-tolerance policy towards fraud and corruption. Our Counter Fraud Strategy can be found here.
You can help us prevent and detect fraud by reporting it. Whilst the Council has counter fraud controls in place to prevent and detect fraud, approximately 30% of fraud is uncovered by staff, members of the public or third parties.
Examples of fraud
- Lying about circumstances to obtain goods, services, discounts, exemptions or grants.
- Identity Fraud or providing false information or documents.
- Not providing the Council with all the information that may affect an application or claim.
- Dishonestly failing to report changes in circumstances when there is a legal requirement to do so.
- Stealing or misusing Council resources – this includes cash, stores, equipment, vehicles, or buildings.
- Misappropriation in procurement exercises, issuing contracts, invoicing, and making payments.
Common areas of fraud
- Council Tax
- Business Rates
- Social Care Fraud
- Grants
- Procurement
- Commissioning of Services
- Insurance Fraud
- Payroll
- Blue Badges
What do fraudsters look like?
Unfortunately, there are no identifiable features to a fraudster. They could be members of the public, suppliers, contractors, insiders or organised criminals. Individuals may be committing the fraud for themselves, assisting a fraudster or being coerced by fraudsters on the outside.
What will we do if we find fraud?
If you report a suspected fraud or if we think someone is committing fraud against the council, we will investigate them. The Council has trained officers that can conduct fraud investigations, or in some circumstances we will refer the investigation to an external investigator or the Police.
If we find evidence to prove that a person is committing fraud they may be prosecuted. Council Officers may be subject to disciplinary proceedings and Councillors may be referred to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.
In any event, we always look to recover any monetary or material losses.
What to do if you suspect someone of committing fraud?
If you know or suspect that someone is committing fraud, please report it as soon as possible. Please provide details clearly and factually.
Reporting a suspected fraud can be made in the following ways:
Email: fraud@ceredigion.gov.uk
By post: Section 151 Officer, Neuadd y Cyngor Penmorfa, Aberaeron, Ceredigion, SA46 0PA.
For Benefit fraud and Council Tax fraud more information can be found here.
You can report suspected benefit fraud by:
Email: revenues@ceredigion.gov.uk
By post: Benefits Section, Neuadd y Cyngor Penmorfa, Aberaeron, Ceredigion, SA46 0PA.