Public Sector

Doctors could be earning almost £1 billion from “ghost patients” after a fraud investigation into how many people were registered with GPs was halted.

There were almost six million more patients registered to a GP in England last year than the total population size of the country.

Patisserie Valerie is a British patisserie and café chain. In 2018, the company found itself at the centre of an alleged accounting scandal. In 2019, Patisserie Valerie announced that its board had been notified of accounting irregularities and potential fraud. The company went into administration, resulting in the closure of 70 stores and the loss of more than 900 jobs.

https://angle.ankura.com/post/102iskm/patisserie-valerie-how-the-allegations-unfolded?utm_source=mondaq&utm_medium=syndication&utm_term=Criminal-Law&utm_content=articleoriginal&utm_campaign=article

Evidence involving Baroness Mone has been handed to the National Crime Agency (NCA) as it investigates allegations of PPE fraud.

The evidence is said to include texts and emails from senior officials and at least three ministers concerning the procurement of masks and gowns during the Covid pandemic.

Last month, a series of fraud investigations in the borough has seen four council-owned properties returned to Harrow Council – saving more than £350,000 of tax payer money.

https://harrowonline.org/2023/12/20/harrow-fraud-council-diverts-350000-as-four-properties-recovered/

Powys County Council has been accused of seeking to cover up irregular purchases made by a headteacher with taxpayers’ money for a barn he was converting into Airbnb accommodation.

https://nation.cymru/news/council-accused-of-trying-to-cover-up-school-fraud/

Just two per cent of Covid fraud tip-offs are being investigated, the government has admitted.

Around 98 per cent of claims phoned into the government’s coronavirus fraud hotline are not being actively pursued, ministers have said.

Serious failures in governance and financial management found at Harlech Community Council according to the report in the public interest issued today by the Auditor General for Wales.

https://businessnewswales.com/fraud-at-community-council-highlights-importance-of-cyber-security-processes/

Side hustles. Second jobs. Whatever you call them, they've soared in popularity in recent years.

https://www.hrgrapevine.com/content/article/2023-11-29-fraud-watchdog-hunts-remote-staff-secretly-working-two-full-time-jobs

LONDON (Reuters) - The value of suspected fraud flagged by lenders across emergency state-backed loans granted to struggling businesses in the COVID-19 pandemic has increased by 7% to 1.8 billion pounds ($2.3 billion), government figures showed on Tuesday.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/suspected-fraud-uk-covid-loans-145049926.html

The UK Government’s National Fraud Initiative is looking into a number of local authority employees who have been caught ‘moonlighting’ while they were supposed to be working from home for the council. The NFI considers this a form of fraud because it is seen as working multiple contracts without the knowledge of employers and contrary to their terms of employment. Multiple contract working is seen as fraud when people who are paid to work full time, split their days between two or more employers without their knowledge.

https://workplaceinsight.net/council-employees-working-from-home-are-committing-fraud-with-second-job/