Fraud Squad
Encyclopedia
A Fraud Squad is a police
department which investigates fraud
and other economic crime
s. The largest Fraud Squad in the United Kingdom
is run by the City of London Police
who are responsible for policing London's and the UK's main financial hub.
This department investigates what could be described as the "traditional" fraud offences, such as banking frauds; insurance frauds; investment frauds; insider dealing frauds; advance fee frauds and Internet frauds, amongst others.
Each team is headed by a Detective Inspector who take it in turn on a weekly basis to act as the "Duty Squad" and they form the immediate response to any calls received concerning new fraud cases.
The Fraud squad is a specialist area where officers are normally transferred from general detective duties with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID). Some officers will nominated to work on specific cases for the Serious Fraud Office
(SFO), they will also provide assistance and advice on policing matters to the SFO and Financial Services Authority.
The City of London Police has recruited accountancy specialists directly into its Special Constabulary
, and these officers primary duties are assisting in complex fraud investigations.
(MDP) also maintains a sizeable Fraud squad within its CID. This squad investigates serious fraud and corruption offences against the Ministry of Defence
.
Because of the scale of the MoD's annual budget any small percentage lost to criminal activity (theft/deception) has the potential to be a considerable sum.
Fraud committed against the MoD means that UK frontline defences are deprived of resources which place them and the UK and its interests at risk (the defence capability of the UK is weakened and lives may be put at risk as a consequence).
The MDP's Fraud Squad works with Procurement officers (who oversee the services provide by thousands of defence contractors who supply goods and services to the MoD) and also with the MoD Defence Fraud Analysis Unit (DFAU) in delivering fraud awareness and prevention advice across the MoD.
The MDP Fraud Squad is one of only four in the UK accredited to deliver this nationally accredited fraud training for the MDP, Home Office Forces and Service Police.
and Customs Officers, Police Support Staff and other Government Departments such as Internal Audit and HM Attorney General’s Chambers.
The FCU's remit covers:
The unit is made up of three teams:
Department for Work and Pensions
In the year 2004 - 2005 benefit thieves stole around £900 million.
The DWP targets benefits fraud, Benefit theft includes:
Counter Fraud and Security Management Service is an independent Division of the NHS Business Services Authority and has responsibility for all policy and operational matters relating to the prevention, detection and investigation of fraud and corruption and the management of security in the National Health Service
.
The NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service is tasked:
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
department which investigates fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
and other economic crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
s. The largest Fraud Squad in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
is run by the City of London Police
City of London Police
The City of London Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the City of London, England, including the Middle and Inner Temple. The service responsible for law enforcement within the rest of Greater London is the Metropolitan Police Service, a separate...
who are responsible for policing London's and the UK's main financial hub.
This department investigates what could be described as the "traditional" fraud offences, such as banking frauds; insurance frauds; investment frauds; insider dealing frauds; advance fee frauds and Internet frauds, amongst others.
Each team is headed by a Detective Inspector who take it in turn on a weekly basis to act as the "Duty Squad" and they form the immediate response to any calls received concerning new fraud cases.
The Fraud squad is a specialist area where officers are normally transferred from general detective duties with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID). Some officers will nominated to work on specific cases for the Serious Fraud Office
Serious Fraud Office (UK)
The Serious Fraud Office is an independent UK Government department that investigates and prosecutes serious or complex fraud and corruption...
(SFO), they will also provide assistance and advice on policing matters to the SFO and Financial Services Authority.
The City of London Police has recruited accountancy specialists directly into its Special Constabulary
Special Constabulary
The Special Constabulary is the part-time volunteer section of a statutory police force in the United Kingdom or some Crown dependencies. Its officers are known as Special Constables or informally as Specials.Every United Kingdom territorial police force has a special constabulary except the...
, and these officers primary duties are assisting in complex fraud investigations.
Economic Crime Department (ECD)
The Fraud Squad is part of the City of London Police Economic Crime Department (ECD) which also consists of:- Cheque and Credit Card Unit
- Money Laundering Investigation Unit
- Financial Investigation Unit
- Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit
- Fraud Desk
- Financial Intelligence Development Team
Ministry of Defence Police
The Ministry of Defence PoliceMinistry of Defence Police
The Ministry of Defence Police is a civilian police force which is part of the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence. The force is part of the larger government agency, the Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency , together with the Ministry of Defence Guard Service...
(MDP) also maintains a sizeable Fraud squad within its CID. This squad investigates serious fraud and corruption offences against the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
.
Because of the scale of the MoD's annual budget any small percentage lost to criminal activity (theft/deception) has the potential to be a considerable sum.
Fraud committed against the MoD means that UK frontline defences are deprived of resources which place them and the UK and its interests at risk (the defence capability of the UK is weakened and lives may be put at risk as a consequence).
The MDP's Fraud Squad works with Procurement officers (who oversee the services provide by thousands of defence contractors who supply goods and services to the MoD) and also with the MoD Defence Fraud Analysis Unit (DFAU) in delivering fraud awareness and prevention advice across the MoD.
The MDP Fraud Squad is one of only four in the UK accredited to deliver this nationally accredited fraud training for the MDP, Home Office Forces and Service Police.
Isle of Man Financial Crime Unit
The Financial Crime Unit is a multi-agency unit, consisting of PoliceIsle of Man Constabulary
The Isle of Man Constabulary is the organisation responsible for policing the Isle of Man, an island of 80,000 inhabitants situated equidistant from Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England.-Structures and Deployment:...
and Customs Officers, Police Support Staff and other Government Departments such as Internal Audit and HM Attorney General’s Chambers.
The FCU's remit covers:
- prevention of financial crime
- detection of financial crime
- investigation:
- serious financial crime
- money laundering
- terrorism financing
The unit is made up of three teams:
- The Financial Intelligence Team which receives Suspicious Activity Reports which are submitted by the financial sector
- The Overseas Assistance Team which deals with all International Letters of Request or other assistance procedures provided for through Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties
- The Investigations Team which deals with all investigations
Department for Work and PensionsDepartment for Work and PensionsThe Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...
In the year 2004 - 2005 benefit thieves stole around £900 million.The DWP targets benefits fraud, Benefit theft includes:
- non notification of that claimant is now living with a partner
- non notification of that claimant is receiving other benefits
- non notification by the claimant of savings or not declaring the right amount
- claiming for children who have left home
- non notification of that claimant has started work, or about any earnings
- non notification of that claimant has inherited money
- non notification of that claimant is going abroad, living abroad, or has changed address.
NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service
The NHSNational Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
Counter Fraud and Security Management Service is an independent Division of the NHS Business Services Authority and has responsibility for all policy and operational matters relating to the prevention, detection and investigation of fraud and corruption and the management of security in the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
.
- NHS Counter Fraud Service established in September 1998
- NHS Security Management Service was established in 2003 to form the NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service.
The NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service is tasked:
- To reduce fraud to an absolute minimum and hold it permanently at that level, releasing resources for better patient care and services
- With the delivery of an environment for those who use or work in the NHS which is properly secure so that the highest possible standard of clinical care can be made available to patients.
Other bodies
- Driver and Vehicle Licensing AgencyDriver and Vehicle Licensing AgencyThe Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is the organisation of the UK Government responsible for maintaining a database of drivers and a database of vehicles in Great Britain; its counterpart in Northern Ireland is the Driver & Vehicle Agency...
(DVLA) - Financial Services AuthorityFinancial Services AuthorityThe Financial Services Authority is a quasi-judicial body responsible for the regulation of the financial services industry in the United Kingdom. Its board is appointed by the Treasury and the organisation is structured as a company limited by guarantee and owned by the UK government. Its main...
(FSA) - UK Border AgencyUK Border AgencyThe UK Border Agency is the border control body of the United Kingdom government and part of the Home Office. It was formed on 1 April 2008 by a merger of the Border and Immigration Agency , UKvisas and the Detection functions of HM Revenue and Customs...
(Home OfficeHome OfficeThe Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
) - Her Majesty's Revenue and CustomsHer Majesty's Revenue and CustomsHer Majesty's Revenue and Customs is a non-ministerial department of the UK Government responsible for the collection of taxes and the payment of some forms of state support....
(HMRC) - Local Authority Investigation Officers GroupLocal Authority Investigation Officers GroupLocal Authority Investigation Officers Group is an organisation involving Local Authority investigators, primarily those involved in the investigation of Housing and Council Tax Benefit fraud. LAIOG is recognised as a representative group in providing information and statistics to, for example,...
(LAIOG) - National Anti Fraud Network (NAFN)
- Royal MailRoyal MailRoyal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
Security Service (Post Office Investigation Department - POID) - Identity and Passport Service (IPS) UK Passport Authority
- Universities & Colleges Admission Service (UCAS)
- Serious Organised Crime AgencySerious Organised Crime AgencyThe Serious Organised Crime Agency is a non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom under Home Office sponsorship...
(SOCA)