Kimberley councillor says county council remains totally committed to fighting fraud

Coun Philip Owen (Con), who represents Nuthall & Kimberley at County Hall, was speaking at the latest meeting of the council’s governance and ethics committee meeting, where members received a report on the work undertaken by the authority to counter fraud and deter fraudsters.

The council has specialist teams working tirelessly to ensure taxpayers’ money is protected from sophisticated attacks by cybercriminals as the ongoing fight against fraud continues.

The work builds on the continuing counter fraud measures put in place by the council as reported in the Annual Fraud Report, which identified counter-fraud activities had thwarted hundreds of attempts totalling an eye-watering £4.6m since 2018.

Common fraud attempts in the public sector include changes to bank details and false payment requests, deprivation of assets and misuse of direct payments.

Coun Owen, committee chair, said: “Fraud is illegal and diverts taxpayers’ money away from the provision of essential local public services.

“We’re aware that fraudsters are exploiting various types of fraud and cybercrime for their own gain, and we are committed to robust counter-fraud activities and the prosecution of individuals who defraud the council.

“Therefore, it is vitally important that we continue to maintain fraud prevention measures to redress the balance between speed of actions and the robustness of checks and other measures to prevent fraud.”

The county council is making sure its staff and management teams are following simple measures to help prevent fraud and ultimately protect public money.

Staff are being encouraged to complete a fraud awareness e-learning training course, which includes advice from Nottinghamshire Police.

Coun Owen added: “Despite the success of the county council over the last five years, we can’t rest on our laurels – attempts at fraud happen every day in every part of the UK.

“Unscrupulous fraudsters will unfortunately always be a risk, but our excellent specialist staff are ready and waiting to stop any attempts to steal taxpayers’ money from the council.”

In addition, the council has put together some useful information, links and tips in relation to common scams against the general public.

Residents can check out the county council's fraud awareness advice on its website to help protect themselves and their loved ones from scams.