Catch up with the latest news.
Men Jailed for VAT Fraud
In another recent prosecution by HMRC, three men have been jailed for over 14 years after conning several UK companies by pretending they had £15 million to spend to promote tourism in Dubai. They were apparently caught after attempting to fraudulently claim a £1.9 million VAT refund. Using a contract… Read more ...HMRC Extradites Man for Money Laundering Offences
A Scottish man who was wanted in connection with a £11.6 million criminal money laundering scheme has been extradited back to Scotland from northern Cyprus, HMRC has reported. The 46-year-old had been jailed for four years in 2004 for his involvement in a tax fraud in which he claimed back… Read more ...Managing the Risk of Benefit Fraud
A recent report from the UK Parliament’s Work and Pensions Committee has warned of uncertainty over how the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) will manage the housing costs element of Universal Credit without increased risks of fraud and error. The Government has stated that an IT system (the Integrated… Read more ...Government Cracks Down on Banned Drivers
Tougher sentences are to be given to banned drivers who cause death or serious injury on the roads, under new measures published by the UK Government. The changes will mean that disqualified drivers could be sentenced to up to ten years in prison if they cause a death and up… Read more ...Fraud attempts on the rise in financial services sector
Recently released figures from Experian have revealed a sharp rise in the number of detected and prevented fraud attempts for financial services products in the second half of 2013. According to Experian’s latest Fraud Index, the overall level of detected and prevented fraud attempts rose by 18% in 2013 across… Read more ...Government announces delay to its plans for corroboration
The Scottish Government has announced a delay in its plans to abolish the requirement for corroboration in criminal cases. The delay is to allow time for Lord Bonomy to conduct his review into what additional safeguards may be required in the criminal justice system if the requirement for corroboration is… Read more ...New criminal offence for tax evaders
Plans to introduce a new strict liability criminal offence for individuals who hide their money offshore are to be published for consultation by the Government. Under the plans, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) would no longer need to prove that individuals who have undeclared income offshore intended to evade tax… Read more ...Rise in incidence of employee fraud
Cases of fraud committed inside an organisation by its employees rose by 18% in 2013 compared with 2012, according to the latest report from CIFAS – the UK's Fraud Prevention Service. The 18% increase in insider fraud was driven by numerous factors including: A 71% increase in unsuccessful fraudulent… Read more ...Identity crime makes up large proportion of frauds
New data from CIFAS reveals that six out of every ten frauds recorded on its database in 2013 were dependent on the abuse of identity details. The Fraud Prevention Service also says that the use of fictitious identities or the abuse of identity details to obtain a product or service in the… Read more ...