Report benefit fraud

If people commit fraud against the Council it can mean higher taxes and reduced services. Each day members of the public help us by reporting their concerns. You can help too, by:

• report suspected fraud using our online form
• call our local confidential free 24-hour fraud hotline on 0800 328 0572

We take our responsibility to stop fraud seriously. Obviously we would rather prevent it happening, but should it occur we have a Fraud Prevention Team who investigate and, when appropriate, prosecute.

Prosecuting fraudsters

In the last 15 years we have successfully prosecuted more than 200 fraudsters, with sentences including:

• imprisonment ranging from 28 days to five months
• confiscation orders of up to £70,000
• community punishment orders of up to 200 hours
• community rehabilitation orders of up to two years
• curfew (tagging) orders of up to three months