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National Fraud Initiative – preparing for the future. North West Auditors Forum 2014 Kevin Boon. NFI – preparing for the future. Pre 2014 - NFI recap Data/Match Quality Smarter Working What’s new in NFI 2014/15 NFI and the Future Other purposes Fraud Flexible matching
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National Fraud Initiative – preparing for the future North West Auditors Forum 2014 Kevin Boon
NFI – preparing for the future • Pre 2014 - NFI recap • Data/Match Quality • Smarter Working • What’s new in NFI 2014/15 • NFI and the Future • Other purposes • Fraud • Flexible matching • Application checker
Sophisticated batch data matching exercise designed to prevent and detect fraud Established in 1996 and undertaken every 2 years Incorporates England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland NFI: Key Facts Over 1,300 mandatory and voluntary participants provide 8,000 datasets In 2012-13 3.76m data matches released (Recommended Filter Matches 15%) Over £1bn of fraud, error and overpayments identified to date
Participating bodies submit specified data NFI Batch Data Matching: The Process The NFI Team feeds back the outcomes within the National Report The NFI matches data within and between bodies, to identify anomalies Participants investigate matches, to establish fraud, error or other another cause The data matches are returns matches to participants
NFI Batch Data Matching: The Data Pot Blue Badges Concessionary Travel Pass Creditors Council Tax DWP & DDRI Deceased Persons Deferred Pensions Electoral Roll Fraud Data Housing Benefit Claimants Housing Tenants Insurance Claimants Market Traders Occupational Pensions Payroll Right To Buy Personal Alcohol Licences Private Residential Care Homes Student Loans Taxi Drivers UKBA Immigration Data Waiting Lists
The NFI Web Application The NFI is delivered via a specially developed web application designed to place the user in control of their investigation The Web Application Key Features Secure facility for submitting data and for distributing matches Hierarchal and controlled user access Case management control features Management information Online training programme Data quality assessment
Data Quality • Data Quality is high priority (after Security) • Why is it so important? • Meeting specifications • Poor data produces spurious matches • Wasted time and effort • Garbage in, garbage out • Duplicateinvoices Duplicatecreditors
Data Quality • How can you check Data Quality? • Using Excel/IDEA • Date sorting for completeness • Numeric sorting and control totals for reasonableness • Alpha sorting for completeness and rogue data/records • Excel format checking • Record count – truncation • Gap detection for quality and completeness • Duplicateinvoices Duplicatecreditors
Smarter working • Data Quality • Early engagement of investigators • Timing of follow up e.g. students • Key reports • Recommended matches • Using NFI as case management system • Filtering and sorting matches • Visual sifting using vertical view • Multiple match opening/closing • Larger reports e.g. Creditors • Exporting • Filtering in Excel (guidance available) • Summary recording of outcomes
What’s new in 2014/15? • Security Policy • Move to SFIS • PSN • UPRNs • Annual Council Tax SPD exercise • Outcomes MI report separate Fraud and Error • More match filters introduced • Extending the vertical view quick tick function • New Benefit ‘customer’ or ‘official’ error categories • Improved search, navigation, export and shared comment facilities • More efficient further information enquiry process for:- • Home Office immigration • Pensions • Students
Other Purposes and The Cabinet Office NFI and the Future
The Future: Other purposes • The Serious Crime Act 2007 gave powers to the Secretary of State to extend the purposes of data matching beyond fraud. • Data matching through the NFI could help public bodies to reduce the significant levels of debt owed to them. • Arrears matching could identify details of those with tenant arrears, court fines, parking notices, child support payments and student loans. • Locating absconders. • The powers were never enacted. • However, the future looks better…..
The Future: The Cabinet office • What the move to the Cabinet Office will mean for NFI:- • Transfer of mandatory powers before March 2015 • Updated Code of Data Matching Practice • Inherit existing powers • Extend mandatory participants (including government departments) • Legal power of Secretary of State to change purpose • Extension to error, debt/arrears recovery, maladministration, crimes other than fraud
Fraud and The Cabinet Office NFI and the Future
NFI Fraud Detection and Prevention Weintend to… “deploy the National Fraud Initiative more widely as a near real-time tool to enable data matching between departments, and between central and local government” The NFI has traditionally focussed on fraud detection We are developing services to also assist with fraud prevention
The Flexible Matching Service (FMS) NFI and the Future
What is Flexible Matching? • The NFI flexible matching service is a powerful and sophisticated data matching engine that instantly identifies matches for counter-fraud investigation • A new NFI web application has been built which includes a facility to create and manage data matching jobs and an interactive data submission wizard • It can run batch data matching as stand-alone tasks at a time and frequency that suits your organisation’s operational requirements • All existing NFI matching options are available to participants
What can The Flexible Matching Service be used for? Internal/Project Data Matching • Participants upload data for internal matching only • The datasets are only be matched to each other • Optional data matching against the NFI core datasets • Multi-Organisation Data Matching • Regional data matching initiatives where a group of participants wish to submit data for local cross matching • Optional data matching against the NFI core datasets
FMS: Existing Uses • Housing benefit to student loans • Council Tax to Electoral Register • Personal budgets • Mortality Screening
The Application Checker NFI and the Future
An Overview of the Application Checker • Our new service that we are about to launch • Matches applications on a record by record basis with instant results • Designed to help prevent fraud at the point of application • Prevents fraud getting into your systems by data matching against the core NFI data
Further Information Further information regarding the NFI can be found on our website. Alternatively please contact the NFI team via NFI queries My contact details Kevin Boon k-boon@audit-commission.gsi.gov.uk