We are at risk of losing over £10m a year through fraud, corruption, theft and error. Our aim is to investigate fraud across all services including:
We are committed to reducing and ending fraud and corruption in Enfield. We have outlined what action we will be taking in the following policies:
You are committing fraud if you knowingly or dishonestly claim or get something you know you are not entitled to, such as:
It can be hard to spot financial abuse as its effects are not always as obvious as other types of abuse. There are some signs that could point to financial abuse:
Report any money that has gone missing as soon as possible to the police and your bank.
Report fraud or attempted fraud and scams or viruses using Action Fraud, which is the UK’s national fraud and internet crime reporting centre. You can also report it to our fraud hotline on 020 8379 4289.
If you are worried that your money is being misused, or think that someone you know is being taken advantage of report it to the Enfield adult abuse line on 020 8379 5212.
To help keep your money safe and prevent fraud, you should:
To protect yourself against financial abuse and fraud you should also arrange who will look after your money, possessions or property if you are no longer able to. Planning a Will ensures that you have choice and control about what will happen to your assets once the time comes.
Organise for people you trust to look after your financial affairs and know what you want in the future if you become physically or mentally frail. Write down where you might wish to live if you cannot stay in your own home.
For more information, see:
We are committed to protecting public funds and will investigate all allegations of benefit fraud.
If you believe someone is claiming benefit they are not entitled to you can report them or call the National Benefit Fraud Hotline on 0800 854 440.
If you claim Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support or Social Security benefits, you are committing benefit fraud if you:
We are committed to protecting public funds and have a zero tolerance towards fraud. Our aim is to recover fraud losses including the full costs of investigations and going to court, and reduce corruption.
We work with other agencies such as the police, Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Custom to limit people from benefiting from their criminal conduct.
We will prosecute you or apply financial penalties and fines where it is in the public’s interest to do so. If you are convicted, the court will decide the punishment.
For more information on how we will deal with fraud and recover funds, refer to our Counter Fraud Strategy and Plan.