A Fraud squad is a police department which investigates

fraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compens ...

and other economic crimes, the largest of which in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

is run by the

City of London Police The City of London Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the City of London, including the Middle and Inner Temples. The force responsible for law enforcement within the remainder of the London region, ou ...

City of London Police

This unit is responsible for policing London's and the UK's main financial hub, as part of the City of London Police Economic Crime Department (ECD) It investigates what could be described as traditional fraud offences such as banking frauds; insurance frauds; investment frauds; insider dealing frauds; advance fee frauds and Internet frauds, amongst others. Each team is headed by a

Detective Inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

who take it in turn on a weekly basis to act as the "Duty Squad" and they form the immediate response to any calls received concerning new fraud cases. The Fraud Squad is a specialist area, usually a part of the

Specialist Investigation Department The Specialist Investigation Department is a branch of the Criminal Investigation Department of a British police force (although many use different names) which investigates crimes such as murder and sexual offences supplying specially trained off ...

, where officers are normally transferred from general detective duties with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID). Some officers will be nominated to work on specific cases for the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), they will also provide assistance and advice on policing matters to the SFO and Financial Services Authority. The City of London Police has recruited accountancy specialists directly into its

Special Constabulary The Special Constabulary is the part-time volunteer section of statutory police forces in the United Kingdom and some Crown dependencies. Its officers are known as special constables. Every United Kingdom territorial police force has a specia ...

, and these officers primary duties are assisting in complex fraud investigations.

Economic Crime Department (ECD)

The Fraud Squad is part of the City of London Police Economic Crime Department (ECD) which also consists of: * Cheque and Credit Card Unit * Money Laundering Investigation Unit * Financial Investigation Unit * Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit * Fraud Desk * Financial Intelligence Development Team

Ministry of Defence Police

The

Ministry of Defence Police The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) is a civilian special police force which is part of the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence. The MDP's primary responsibilities are to provide armed security and counter terrorism services to designated hig ...

(MDP) also maintains a sizeable Fraud squad within its CID. This squad investigates serious fraud and corruption offences against the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

. Because of the scale of the MoD's annual budget, even a very small percentage lost to criminal activity has the potential to be a considerable sum. The MDP's Fraud Squad works with procurement officers and the MoD Defence Fraud Analysis Unit (DFAU) in delivering fraud awareness and prevention advice across the MoD. The MDP Fraud Squad is one of only four in the UK accredited to deliver this nationally accredited fraud training for the MDP, Home Office Forces and

Service Police In the United Kingdom, the term military police refers to the three branches of the service police. Often, the term 'military police' is considered synonymous with the Army's Royal Military Police, but in fact, has a wider context. There are a nu ...

Isle of Man Financial Crime Unit

The Financial Crime Unit is a multi-agency unit, consisting of

Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

and Customs Officers, Police Support Staff and other Government Departments such as Internal Audit and HM Attorney General’s Chambers. The FCU's remit covers: *prevention of financial crime *detection of financial crime *investigation: **serious financial crime **money laundering **terrorism financing The unit is made up of three teams: *The Financial Intelligence Team which receives Suspicious Activity Reports which are submitted by the financial sector *The Overseas Assistance Team which deals with all International Letters of Request or other assistance procedures provided for through Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties *The Investigations Team which deals with all investigations

Other Fraud Investigators

Department for Work and Pensions Department for Work and Pensions (accessed 20/12/06)
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In the year 2004-2005 benefit thieves stole around £900 million. The DWP targets benefits fraud and benefit theft, which includes: * non notification of that claimant is now living with a partner * non notification of that claimant is receiving other benefits * non notification by the claimant of savings or not declaring the right amount * claiming for children who have left home * non notification of that claimant has started work, or about any earnings * non notification of that claimant has inherited money * non notification of that claimant is going abroad, living abroad, or has changed address.

NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA)

The

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

Counter Fraud Authority is a special health authority charged with identifying, investigating and preventing fraud and other economic crime within the NHS and the wider health group. https://cfa.nhs.uk/ Formed on November 1, 2017 under section 28 of the National Health Service Act 2006. It replaces its predecessor NHS Protect, which was part of the NHS Business Services Authority.

Other bodies

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA; cy, Asiantaeth Trwyddedu Gyrwyr a Cherbydau) is the organisation of the UK government responsible for maintaining a database of drivers in Great Britain and a database of vehicles for the entire ...

(DVLA) *

Financial Services Authority The Financial Services Authority (FSA) was a quasi-judicial body accountable for the financial regulation, regulation of the financial services industry in the United Kingdom between 2001 and 2013. It was founded as the Securities and Investmen ...

(FSA) *

UK Visas and Immigration UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) is a division of the Home Office responsible for the United Kingdom's visa system. It was formed in 2013 from the section of the UK Border Agency that had administered the visa system. History The then Home Secret ...

( Home Office) *

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(HMRC) *

Local Authority Investigation Officers Group Local Authority Investigation Officers Group (LAIOG) was a British organisation involving Local Authority investigators. It ceased to operate on 1 December 2016. LAIOG was recognised as a representative group in providing information and statis ...

(LAIOG) * National Anti Fraud Network (NAFN) *

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Security Service (

Post Office Investigation Department Post or POST commonly refers to: *Mail, the postal system, especially in Commonwealth of Nations countries ** An Post, the Irish national postal service **Canada Post, Canadian postal service **Deutsche Post, German postal service ** Iraqi Post, I ...

- POID) * Identity and Passport Service (IPS)

UK Passport Authority The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

* Universities & Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) *

Serious Organised Crime Agency The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) was a non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom which existed from 1 April 2006 until 7 October 2013. SOCA was a national law enforcement agency with Home Office sponsorship ...

(SOCA) *

National Economic Crime Bureau The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB; formerly Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation/GBFI) – informally known as the ''Fraud Squad'' – is a specialised division of Ireland's national police force, the Garda Síochána, that investi ...

(GNECB) – Republic of Ireland

References

{{Specialist units of the United Kingdom police Financial crime prevention Fraud organizations Types of police unit of the United Kingdom City of London Police