Public Sector

Fraudsters have been targeting COVID-19 business support schemes since their inception. And although the key programmes ended during 2021, the issue has not gone away. For accountancy firms now preparing year-end accounts, staying alert to COVID-related fraud is more important than ever.

https://www.icaew.com/regulation/regulatory-news/covid-support-fraud

A group of influential MPs is urging the government to do more to prioritise economic crime and explain why legislation is being delayed.

MPs also called for an overhaul of Companies House and to increase the cost to register a business by around 700 per cent, from £12 or £13 currently to £100, in an attempt to deter criminals from setting up hundreds of shell firms.

The £4.3bn of Covid loans that may have to be written-off by The Treasury due to fraud and highlighted by the recent resignation of Lord Agnew, could be eclipsed by businesses failing to repay their CBILs and BBLs Covid support loans, an industry expert warns.

https://www.cityam.com/treasurys-4-3bn-fraud-write-off-likely-to-be-eclipsed-by-20bn-covid-loan-defaults-as-cbils-and-bbls-are-not-repaid/

The pandemic saw a sharp rise in financial scams and online fraudulent activity targeted at government schemes and consumers, with around £290bn lost to economic crime

https://www.icaew.com/insights/viewpoints-on-the-news/2022/feb-2022/how-the-government-could-better-tackle-fraud

An agency nurse working at a general hospital faced the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s fitness to practise panel after they were found passing fraudulent prescriptions to a pharmacy

https://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/youre-the-panel/what-should-happen-to-a-hospital-nurse-who-was-convicted-of-using-fraudulent-prescriptions-04-02-2022/

A HUSBAND and wife over claimed the hours they worked in supporting members of the community in a fraud worth around £40,000, a jury concluded.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/couple-over-claimed-hours-worked-050000028.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw&tsrc=twtr

Chancellor denies "ignoring" billions in fraud after minister quits over failure to tackle the problem

https://www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/article/tension-grows-between-treasury-and-no10-over-blame-for-failure-to-tackle-pandemic-fraud#.YfO-yhQUFrc.twitter

Rishi Sunak mounted a fightback in the row over who is to blame for billions in taxpayer cash being wasted after fraudulent claims by businesses during the pandemic.

https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/treasury-and-downing-street-row-over-who-is-to-blame-for-failing-to-tackle-pandemic-fraud#.YfLr_5_TLT8.twitter

Rishi Sunak has moved to assure people he is not “ignoring” or “writing off” billions of pounds stolen from the government’s Covid support schemes.

https://www.cityam.com/sunak-says-he-is-not-ignoring-the-billions-of-pounds-of-covid-fraud/

Lord Agnew resigns in parliament after £4.3bn write-off, saying oversight of loans scheme had been ‘nothing less than woeful’

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jan/24/minister-resigns-in-protest-at-handling-of-fraudulent-covid-loans