Fraud
Councils are currently addressing housing fraud, enhancing anti-fraud strategies, and exploring digital verification to combat financial deception.
The City of London is currently involved in a Digital Verification Orchestrator (DVO) pilot, established in February 2026 and led by UK Finance, aiming to streamline secure information sharing between financial institutions (story 10380). The City of London's Economic Security and Cyber Crime Committee met in October 2026 to discuss policing performance and the progress of the Joint Asset Recovery Database (meeting 2026-10-01).
Local councils are actively addressing housing fraud and enhancing prevention strategies. Newham Council's fraud team recovered eight properties and prevented ten 'Right to Buy' applications by July 2026, resulting in £0.336 million in notional savings (story 9046). In April 2026, Harrow Council's Governance, Audit, Risk Management and Standards Committee approved its Corporate Anti-Fraud Annual Plan for 2026/27, focusing on proactive testing in high-risk areas (story 7291).
Other councils continue to report significant fraud prevention efforts. Westminster City Council's Corporate Anti-Fraud Service prevented an estimated £693,499 in losses between April and September 2025, with tenancy fraud being the most prevalent type (story 4576). Enfield Council's Counter Fraud team identified £1.2 million in detected and prevented savings from April to September 2025 (story 3560). Richmond upon Thames Council noted a rise in insider and identity fraud in November 2025 (story 4573).
Key facts
- A Digital Verification Orchestrator (DVO) pilot is underway, established in February 2026, led by UK Finance. Source
- Newham Council's fraud team recovered eight properties and prevented ten 'Right to Buy' applications, saving £0.336 million by July 2026. Source
- Harrow Council's Governance, Audit, Risk Management and Standards Committee approved the Corporate Anti-Fraud Annual Plan for 2026/27 in April 2026. Source
- Westminster City Council's Corporate Anti-Fraud Service prevented an estimated £693,499 in fraud losses between April and September 2025. Source
- Enfield Council's Counter Fraud team identified £1.2 million in detected and prevented savings from April to September 2025. Source
About this summary
This summary was written automatically from our published stories and the council meeting records they draw on. It describes what councils have discussed and decided; it does not take a view on any decision. Each key fact links to the story it comes from. Updated 19 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Email community@opencouncil.network.