Social Security Scotland fraud case statistics: FOI release

Information requested

Request for information 1: The number of cases which have been reported by Social Security Scotland to relevant authorities over alleged fraud, committed by recipients of social security payments from September 2024 to February 2025.

Request for information 2: The amount of money which has been paid to those recipients in cases of alleged fraud which has been reported from September 2024 to February 2025.

Request for information 3: How many people who have been accused of this allegation have gone on to be prosecuted for benefit fraud from September 2024 to February 2025.

Response

Social Security Scotland does not decide when fraud has been committed; that is for the justice system. Therefore, we do not classify a behaviour as fraud until conviction by the Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service, or if the Crown Procurator Fiscal Service has decided on a non-court disposal as an alternative to prosecution.

Request for information 1:
Between September 2024 and February 2025, Social Security Scotland deemed it appropriate to report 10 cases of alleged fraud to the Crown Office.

Request for information 2:
The total overpaid due to suspected fraud in relation to the above ten cases was £97,854.

You may find it helpful to know that the future loss estimated to have been prevented in those cases is £215,014. In fraud investigations a total cost is calculated of how much money has already been paid to the client to date, and a second calculation is made to estimate the money that client would receive until the next review of their claim, this provides a financial value of prevented losses.

Request for information 3:
In the period between September 2024 and February 2025, one individual has been issued with a fiscal warning by the Procurator Fiscal. You may also find it helpful to know that a decision has yet to be reached by the Procurator Fiscal’s Office on prosecution of a further nine cases.

You may find further information of interest to you in our Counter Fraud Strategy.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.