The National Fraud Initiative Fair Processing Notice legally requires us to protect the public funds we administer.
To prevent and detect fraud, we may share information with other bodies who are responsible for:
- auditing
- administering public funds
- undertaking a public function.
Data matching and fraud prevention
Computerised data matching allows potentially fraudulent claims and payments to be identified.
Data matching involves comparing computer records held by one body against other computer records. The data is usually personal information. Such records could be held by the same or other body, to see how the data matches.
When a data match is found, it may indicate that there is an inconsistency which requires further investigation. No assumption can be made as to whether there is fraud, error or other explanation until an investigation is carried out.
The Cabinet Office is responsible for carrying out data matching exercises and is subject to a code of practice.
We participate in data matching exercises to support the prevention and detection of fraud. We are required to provide particular sets of data to the Minister for the Cabinet Office for matching for each exercise. You can find out more about the National Fraud Initiative on GOV.UK.
The use of data by the Cabinet Office for a data matching exercise is carried out with statutory authority under Part 6 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014. It does not require the consent of the individuals concerned under the Data Protection Act 2018.