News | 8 December 2021

International Anti-Corruption Day

International Anti-Corruption Day (9 December 2021) aims to help prevent corruption in all forms. Working across many sectors, including public services, the day highlights...

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International Anti-Corruption Day graphic - Veritau website

News | 19 November 2021

Crackdown on blue badge abuse in Redcar and Cleveland

Efforts have been stepped up to clamp down on blue badge abuse in Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, in a joint approach with fraud officers.

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Blue badge abuse in Redcar and Cleveland - press release (image shows parking space with sign advising 'disabled badge holders only')

News | 15 November 2021

It’s International Fraud Awareness Week

This week is International Fraud Awareness Week. According to the latest Annual Fraud Indicator, it’s estimated that fraud costs local authorities...

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International Fraud Awareness Week - Fraud costs councils £7.8 billion per year. If you suspect fraud against the council, report it to the counter fraud team on 0800 9179 247. #fraudweek. Veritau logo on dark blue background

News | 28 October 2021

Falsified documents (Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Week 4)

This is the final week, and we’re focusing on falsified documents. These can arrive in many forms, but increasingly false documents are being...

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Cybersecurity Awareness Month WEEK 4: Falsified documents. How many errors can you spot in the false invoice? Our fraud team has investigated many cases of Covid-19 grant fraud since the start of the pandemic. Many of these involve false claims for businesses that don’t really exist.

News | 18 October 2021

Suspicious emails (Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Week 3)

Most people are familiar with terms like phishing, where a cybercriminal ‘hooks’ you in via email, text or phone asking for money or information.

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Suspicious emails - Cybersecurity awareness month - week 3 graphic. Cybersecurity awareness month - week 3: suspicious emails. Can you be sure that email is from who you think it is? We've seen a recent trend over the past 18 months where supplier's emails are hacked and used to commit mandate fraud. This can often be the result of poor password security.

News | 11 October 2021

Password security (Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Week 2)

A survey by Google found that 50% of people use the same passwords for the majority of their accounts, making them much easier to hack.

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Cybersecurity Awareness Month WEEK 2: Password security. The risks of poor login security and reusing passwords. 50% of people use the same passwords for most accounts. Password best practice is the three random words method. Online fraud increased by 70% in the last year. Veritau logo

News | 4 October 2021

Cybersecurity at work (Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Week 1)

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and as usual we're helping our member councils spread awareness of common cybercrime topics...

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Cybersecurity awareness month - week 1: Cybersecurity at work. Why does cybersecurity matter in local government? £2.87 million = Average cost of a cyberattack in 2020 200 days = average time to detect a breach 45% of people see their organisation being at little or no risk 51% of people say IT should be solely responsible

News | 24 September 2021

Council tenant living abroad ordered by court to vacate property

Fraud officers worked in collaboration with the housing officers to investigate this case, after a routine visit to the property led to concerns that...

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Council tenant living abroad - press release - York County Court

News | 21 September 2021

Be aware of Covid pass fraud

Fraudsters are using the NHS Covid pass as a way to target the public by convincing them to hand over money, financial details and personal information. A new campaign is asking members of the public...

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Beware of Covid pass fraud_NHS

News | 15 April 2021

Preventing fraud on social media: Fraud Advisory Panel statement

The Fraud Advisory Panel has published a joint statement on preventing fraud on social media. Social media has featured in at least 61,000 crime reports to Action Fraud...

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Preventing fraud on social media - fraud advisory panel PDF

News | 14 January 2021

Be alert to vaccine fraud

We’re supporting a campaign by the Government Counter Fraud Profession and NHS Counter Fraud Authority to combat so-called vaccine fraud. Covid-19 vaccination programmes have opened up new opportunities...

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Be alert to vaccine fraud - NHS counter fraud

News | 19 November 2020

Social care fraud

Social care fraud isn’t the type of crime that springs to mind when the word ‘fraud’ is mentioned, but it’s one of the fastest growing risks to the public purse.…

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Image of elderly persons hand being held by carer - social care fraud - Veritau