Benefit fraud costs the country approximately £2 billion a year, this is about £80 a year for each household in Great Britain. Benefit fraud has an impact on the amount of Council Tax and Income Tax you pay and the amount that could be spent on public services.

Benefit Fraud is where people claim any benefit, including Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, to which they are not entitled to by giving false information or not telling us when their circumstances change.

Examples of benefit fraud are:

• People who work but do not declare this
• People who claim as a single person but actually live with their partner
• People who do not declare their full amount of income, capital, or ownership of another property when they claim benefit
• People claiming from an address that they do not live at.

We are committed to preventing, detecting and deterring benefit fraud. We have a dedicated Fraud Team who investigate allegations of benefit fraud from various sources including members of the public and members of the Council and other Government Departments. We will recover any overpaid benefit and when appropriate prosecute offenders.

If you suspect someone is claiming benefit that they are not entitled to please let us know by telephoning 0161 912 2852.

When notifying us of a suspicion please provide the name and address of the person(s) being reported and as much information as possible. This could include descriptions of the person(s) and any vehicles, details of any employment and the type of fraud you suspect is taking place.

All information received by us is treated with the utmost confidentiality. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous will not be asked to provide his or her name, address or telephone number.

Due to the need to maintain confidentiality, we are prevented from disclosing information regarding individual investigations to members of the public who have made referrals.