Ex-Fraudster Aids Councils in Combating Criminal Activity

Alex Wood acknowledges that, to his “mother’s shame,” he perpetrated some of the most “high profile” financial crimes in recent memory. These offenses ranged from impersonating the Duke of Marlborough in Mayfair hotels to engaging in Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud, which involves tricking victims into transferring funds under the false belief they are sending money to their bank. However, his mother might find greater pride in his current profession. Following his release from prison in 2022, Mr. Wood has been providing guidance to entities like law firms, insurance companies, and local authorities on methods to combat fraud. “You often hear in an organisation ‘try and think like a fraudster’… but it’s very, very hard unless you’ve been there and done it,” he stated. Mr. Wood served as a keynote speaker at Oxford City Council’s ninth annual Fraud Conference. This event is progressively recognized as an essential fixture for professionals responsible for safeguarding taxpayers’ funds from fraudulent activities, offering a forum for experts to exchange advice and deliberate on emerging threats. Artificial intelligence (AI) is widely considered a significant concern. “AI enables fraudsters to become so much more sophisticated and discharge their fraud in a easier way,” Mr. Wood commented. He added, “It will just make things harder to detect, so we need to then come up with AI strategies that counter that.” There are substantial benefits associated with apprehending individuals attempting to defraud local councils. The Oxford Investigation Service operates as a specialized unit tasked with shielding Oxford City Council from fraudsters, and it also extends its proficiency to other regions nationwide. Oxford City Council reports that this investigation service generated savings of £7.4m in the previous financial year through its efforts in fraud prevention and detection. This figure represents over 30% of the council’s approximate net budget of £24m. The council indicates these savings are realized by identifying fraudulent housing and Right to Buy applications, among other methods. The team conducts inquiries both digitally and through in-person visits when misconduct is suspected. Aside from financial implications, fraud also affects residents, as stated by city council deputy leader Ed Turner. “If we’ve got 58 people getting social housing which they’re not entitled to, those are 58 people that don’t have the social housing that they need,” he clarified. He further noted, “And that is a huge impact on the individuals and families involved, particularly in an area with a housing crisis.” Tenancy fraud currently stands as one of the team’s primary concerns. Scott Warner, the counter fraud manager at Oxford City Council, remarked: “Oxford has got the highest private sector market rents outside of London, so it’s lucrative if you are a fraudster looking to sublet a council home. “And that risk has increased with the recent evolution of short-term lets, including things like Airbnb.” Nevertheless, Mr. Warner affirmed that they consistently monitor for novel scams. He appended, “The evolution of fraud doesn’t stand still and the bad guys are always trying to get one step ahead of us.” BBC Oxfordshire can be followed on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is available.