Few fraudsters dealt with by the police

THOUSANDS of fraudsters are avoiding prosecution, research has found.

A study from the University of Portsmouth found fewer than two per cent of people who are caught committing fraud are dealt with by the criminal justice system.

This totals 15,696 fraud offenders in 2014-15, with 162,869 accounting for action over TV licence evasion.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Instead, private bodies including fraudster registers and regulatory bodies are taking action.

Principal investigator Professor Mark Button said: ‘This research highlights that the criminal justice system plays only a small role dealing with fraud-related cases and the vast majority are dealt with by other public and private regulators.

‘The nature and quality of the systems operated by these regulators does vary significantly. There are large inconsistencies in the way comparable frauds are dealt with – some resulting in criminal prosecution, others only a regulatory sanction.’

The NHS issued 606,063 penalty notices against those wrongly claiming exemption from charges, the study found.

At least 135,485 people who made fraudulent credit or employment applications were added to private databases.