Fraud

This page will tell you about how the council deals with claims of fraud.

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Report fraudulent activity

Fraud within the public sector costs the taxpayer billions every year. We’re committed to a zero-tolerance approach on all aspects of fraud. This is why Northumberland County Council have a dedicated corporate fraud team, who investigate fraud and irregularity allegations.

What is corporate fraud?

Corporate fraud is when people dishonestly claim benefits, or don't tell us when their circumstances change.

Examples are people who:

work, but don't declare it when claiming benefits
claim as a single person, but live with a partner
claim from an address, but don't live there

Contact us

You can contact the fraud team by phone, email, or by post:

Call us on 01670 624359
Email us at fraudline@northumberland.gov.uk

Address:
The Corporate Fraud Team
Northumberland County Council
Wansbeck Square
Ashington
Northumberland
NE63 9XL

Report it

We encourage confidence in reporting suspected illegal or illegitimate practices. Individuals who make disclosures are completely safe. If you suspect something, make an immediate note of your concerns and report them using one of the following methods:

fraud hotline - 01670 624359
customer service - 0345 600 6400
our 'report fraudulent activity' form below:

Report fraudulent activity

Types of corporate fraud

People can take advantage of and manipulate many council services, such as the following:

council tax reduction
council tax discount and exemption
business rates
housing tenancy/right to buy
blue badge
offences committed by staff members and contractors
procurement
social care
grants
free school meals

The manipulation of these services is corrupt, and is defined as fraud.

Fraud - related documents

Please click on the links below to see our policies from the Corporate Fraud Team:

Although most blue badge holders use them responsibly, people do abuse them, and we take this very seriously. We have a dedicated team who work to investigate and prosecute blue badge misuse and fraud. Please see below for more information about blue badge fraud, and how to report it.

Contact us

You can contact the fraud team by phone, email, or by post:

Call us on 01670 624359
Email us at fraudline@northumberland.gov.uk

Address:
The Corporate Fraud Team
Northumberland County Council
Wansbeck Square
Ashington
Northumberland
NE63 9XL

Report it

Please use the contact information above if you would like to report blue badge fraud.

If you can provide any of the information below (if known), it can help with investigations:

name of badge holder and the name of who is currently using the badge
registration number of vehicle in which badge is displayed
badge serial number and expiry date
the badge issuing authority (this will be the council who provided the badge)
time, day, and place where vehicle is usually parked
details of why you think the badge is being misused

Types of blue badge fraud or misuse

By the badge holder

parking in the wrong place or parking for too long where there is a time limit
use of a badge that is no longer valid
use of a badge that’s been reported lost or stolen
letting a friend or relative use the badge
use of a copied badge
altering the details, for example, the expiry date
making a fraudulent application or using a badge obtained fraudulently

By a third party

using someone else’s badge (with or without the badge holder’s knowledge) without the badge holder being present
using a badge belonging to someone who has died
copying, altering or making badges
using a stolen badge
using a fake badge

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