Public urged to blow whistle on fraudsters
HALTON residents are being warned fraud against the council is ‘not a victimless crime’, as whistle-blowers are urged to come forward if they have any suspicions.
During International Fraud Awareness Week, Halton Council is highlighting different types of fraud and urging anyone who has suspicions about fraud to get in touch.
The council is also warning anyone thinking of committing fraud to ‘think again’ and consider the impact their actions might have.
Some of the main types of fraud affecting councils include:
● Council Tax Fraud claiming single person discount when another adult is living in a property
● Business Rates Fraud avoiding paying rates by not declaring that a business is located at a certain address
● Care Charges Fraud failing to provide full details of income and savings in order to pay lower care fees
● Social Care Fraud exaggerating needs in order to be assessed as requiring more support than is actually needed
● Insurance Fraud - submitting a claim for an accident that did not happen or exaggerating the effects of an accident
● Blue Badge Fraud using a blue badge that belongs to another person
● Debtor fraud - avoiding repaying money owed to the council by pretending to be bankrupt or insolvent, or failing to declare income
● Grant Fraud - misusing funding received from the council that was intended for a specific purpose
● Internal Fraud - fraud committed by employees by falsely claiming expense or overtime payments, or providing false information to get a job.
Cllr Mark Dennett, Halton Council’s Executive Board Member for Corporate Services, said: “Local authorities like Halton must do everything it possibly can to protect public money and prevent fraud. Our local communities can help with this too.
“People who commit fraud are taking funds away from much-needed services.”
People can report suspected fraud at www.halton.gov.uk/fraud or by calling the fraud hotline on 0151 511 7799 in confidence.