Billions of pounds of taxpayer's money have been lost to error and fraud in tax schemes designed to encourage research and development in business.

Critics say some companies are claiming the tax breaks even if they are not doing any research or development, the BBC reported today.

HMRC's latest accounts reveal £4.1bn has been squandered since the schemes were introduced in 2020. It said the levels of error and fraud were "unacceptable".

The figures come as the new government rows with the old one about a hole in the public finances.

Football fans are being warned by a major bank to watch out for ticket scams, after it recorded a jump in cases.

With the new Premier League season starting soon, Lloyds Bank said customer analysis indicates the number of people reporting being scammed when buying football tickets rose by about a third (32%) during the 2023/24 season, compared with the previous season.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/premier-league-football-fans-urged-by-major-bank-to-watch-out-for-ticket-scams/ar-AA1o9jch?ocid=BingNewsSerp

An unauthorised mortgage broker has been charged with fraud, the Financial Conduct Authority has revealed.

Peckham based, Peterson Okoh, 64, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday (July 31) for allegedly advising on and arranging mortgages between January 2018 and December 2023 without being authorised.

https://www.ftadviser.com/fca/2024/08/02/unauthorised-mortgage-broker-charged-with-fraud/

Today, the National Crime Agency can reveal that they have shut down a platform used by hundreds of criminals to defraud victims across the world.

Russian Coms, established in 2021, is thought to be behind financial losses in the tens of millions. An estimated 170,000 people across the UK are believed to be victims.

The UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has charged Beard, ex-Glencore head of oil, with corruption and bribing NNPC officials.

The billionaire former head of oil at Glencore Plc, Alex Beard, has been charged with corruption by the UK’s top fraud agency, alongside four other ex-employees from the commodities trader.

https://www.arise.tv/uk-fraud-office-charges-former-glencore-billionaire-oil-chief-with-bribing-nnpc-officials/

A recent report by Crest Advisory, the Police Foundation, and Birkbeck University calls for a dedicated fraud commissioner and a cabinet minister for economic crime. It advocates for a strategic, well-resourced approach to combating online fraud, including an annual levy on online platforms.

https://www.mondaq.com/uk/white-collar-crime-anti-corruption-fraud/1500394/proposals-for-a-fraud-commissioner

A Which?-led coalition representing some of the UK’s biggest banks and telecoms providers has made a landmark commitment to sharing data, as it urges the new government to make tackling fraud a national priority.

https://www.techdigest.tv/2024/08/which-led-consortium-urges-government-to-make-fraud-priority-by-removing-barriers-to-data-sharing.html

Charity bosses conned into hiring agency workers who presented fake qualification certificates to gain work said they were shocked by the crime — and said their commitment to vulnerable users remains unwavering.

Carlisle Crown Court heard how Walsingham Support — which has offices in the city and in Workington — was the unwitting victim of fraud.

https://cumbriacrack.com/2024/07/31/charity-conned-by-agency-worker-shocked-by-crime/

A ‘ground-breaking’ public-private intelligence-sharing partnership has been established to use banking data to laser in on criminality.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has announced that it is working with seven UK retail banks – including Starling Bank, which describes itself as ‘Britain’s first digital bank’ – on what it describes as a ‘major project to identify and take action against organised crime’.

https://www.globalgovernmentfintech.com/uk-public-private-partnership-tackles-criminality-using-banking-data/

Barclays has reported a whopping 139% increase in the total value of romance scams.

Romance scams increased sharply during May and June, according to data from Barclays, with men losing £3,500 on average and women £8,900.

https://moneyweek.com/personal-finance/barclays-reports-large-spike-in-romance-scams