Fraud specialists in pact with lawyers to beat benefit scams

A new unit of counter fraud specialists working with lawyers against benefits fraud will get the official stamp of approval this week when the Attorney-General, Lord Goldsmith, visits its offices.

The joint working unit will facilitate co-operation on cases between prosecutors, local authorities and job centres.

The 25 members of the unit are non-legally qualified fraud specialists.

They are based in Sutton and Lytham St Anne's.

When an investigation involving the unit throws up a potential prosecution, the matter will then be passed to local authority in-house lawyers or solicitors at the Department of Work and Pensions.

The unit claims it has already achieved successes - including the prosecution of one man who claimed benefits while working, and roped his landlady into making a false statement to the local authority regarding his circumstances.

Jeremy Fleming