Whitehall has managed to stop criminals netting £480million since April 2024, setting an all-time record.
More than one-third of the money saved relates to companies and individuals who made false claims for support during the Covid pandemic. Hundreds of thousands of entities with illegitimate and outstanding Bounce Back Loans have been stopped from dissolving before debts would be due.
Millions more have been returned from others who received financial aid they were not entitled to – including multiple loans. Meanwhile, £68million in wrongful pension payments were identified, 2,600 people were taken off housing waiting lists, and 37,000 fraudulent single-person council tax discount claims were also found. Revenue can now be redirected to schools, hospitals and other public services, according to a government source.
‘Working people expect their taxes to go towards schools, hospitals, roads and the services they and their families use. That money going into the hands of fraudsters is a betrayal of their hard work and the system of paying your fair share. It has to stop,’ Cabinet Office Minister Josh Simons told the Five Eyes anti-fraud summit in London this month.
‘That’s why this government has delivered the toughest ever crackdown on fraud, protecting almost half a billion pounds in under 12 months,’ he continued. ‘We’re using cutting-edge AI and data tools to stay one step ahead of fraudsters, making sure public funds are protected and used to deliver public services for those who need them most – not line the pockets of scammers and swindlers.’
A new AI fraud prevention tool was also unveiled at the event, which uses AI to scan policies and procedures for potential weaknesses liable to be exploited by criminals. Designed and developed by the government in a bid to prevent a repeat of Covid-scale fraud. The system can reduce the time it takes to identify dishonesty by 80% compared with human oversight.
Image: Jakub Żerdzicki / Unsplash
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