What is fraud?

Fraud is the term used to describe many offences, including deception, forgery, theft, misappropriation, collusion and giving false information. 

This page illustrates some of the types of fraud that can be carried out against the against the council.

If you know of anyone who you believe has carried out fraud against the council please contact the relevant team listed on the fraud page. 

Residents

Lambeth’s residents can commit fraud and corruption in a number of ways including:

• Failing to declare their true income, for example, if they have returned to work and continue to claim housing benefit;
• Attempting to use the Right to Buy scheme to obtain a Council home fraudulently. For example, a resident fraudulently obtained his Lambeth council property under the Right to Buy scheme when he had already moved to another borough where he was rehoused and had his rent paid by housing benefit.
• Abusing the disabled parking concessions thereby fraudulently obtaining a service to which they are not entitled. For example, using the disabled badges when they did not have the disabled person with them;
• Failing to notify the council that a pension beneficiary has died and take the money to which they are not entitled;
• Sub-letting council property to tenants without consent.

Council staff

Lambeth council’s staff and managers can commit fraud and corruption in a number of ways including:

• Theft of incoming cash or cheques
• Changing purchase orders in order to obtain equipment which they then keep for themselves.
• Theft of council property, including cash.
• Using the council property for other uses than official purposes and/or supplying information to outsiders for personal gain.
• Staff working together to award contracts in return for incentives or where friends or family members were awarded contracts.
• Misuse of official time , for example abusing the council's computer misuse policy;
• Deceit or misrepresentation for advantage, for example using false references or false qualifications to get a job with the council; and
• Claims for journeys that were not made, overstated claims, claims for allowances for which there was no entitlement, forged signatures authorising payment, forged documentation supporting claims or applications for employment, falsification and/or unauthorised amendments of timesheets, false claims for working unsociable hours,

Contractors and suppliers

Contractors and suppliers to Lambeth can commit fraud and corruption in a number of ways including:

• Submitting invoices and being paid for work that had not been undertaken; and
• Paying bribes to council Members and/or employees to obtain a contract to undertake work or supply goods.

Civil society organisations

Civil society organisations can commit fraud and corruption in a number of ways including:

• Submitting grant applications for funds with misleading information; and
• Their officers misusing the funds that they have been granted to obtain a personal benefit.