Tackling Fraud in Scotland's Public Sector: strategy and action to prevent and detect it

Tuesday 03rd February 2026

Fraud in public services erodes trust, wastes scarce resources and undermines the delivery of essential outcomes. Yet despite stronger systems and awareness, new risks keep emerging. From procurement and grants to cyber and payroll fraud and beyond, fraud keeps evolving. How can Scotland’s public sector move beyond strategy and compliance to embed prevention and detection in every part of its operations?

Fraud in Scotland’s public services is not a distant or hypothetical problem – it is here, now and growing. In 2022–23, the National Fraud Initiative uncovered £21.5 million in fraud and error across Scottish public bodies – a near 50 percent rise on previous years. In 2023, the courts heard of a £6 million NHS contract bribery and procurement fraud scheme, exposing deep weaknesses in governance and oversight. From local authority grants to social housing and benefit payments, the risks are increasing and becoming more complex.

Scotland’s public sector is committed to high standards of integrity and stewardship. However, competing pressures – stretched budgets, workforce gaps, and rapid digital change – can leave organisations vulnerable to exploitation. As cases grow in sophistication, traditional controls are no longer enough. Fraudsters innovate, adapt and collaborate – Scotland’s public sector must therefore do the same. What risks are you and your organisation exposed to by the evolving threats?

The challenge now is to turn awareness into concrete prevention. How should public bodies act before losses occur? How can they use data proactively? What organisational culture can foster detection and deterrence as daily habits rather than annual audits? Learning from proven successes is possible – systems and innovations that have already worked in preventing or reducing fraud elsewhere.

This online conference will focus on three themes:

• Understanding the landscape – risks, responsibilities and systemic challenges
• Practical action – prevention, detection and response in practice
• Moving from intention to action – building systems that deliver

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Topics the conference will explore

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• Understanding the landscape – risks, responsibilities and systemic challenges
• Learning the scale of the threat – understanding the true picture of public sector fraud in Scotland
• Embedding a culture of prevention – governance, accountability and leadership
• Hearing about data-driven detection – using analytics and technology to identify and reduce fraud
• Taking practical action – prevention, detection and response in practice
• Addressing procurement and commissioning – closing the gaps where fraud thrives
• Discussing grants, benefits and local payments – designing controls that prevent misuse
• Considering the role of whistleblowing and internal reporting in fraud prevention
• Thinking about moving from intention to action – building systems that deliver
• Targeting continuous monitoring and exception reporting in real time
• Focussing on innovation and future trends – using new tools and technologies to stay ahead
• Planning for post-award contract and supplier auditing and verification

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Who should attend

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• Public sector staff from Scottish Government, Councils, NHS bodies, Further and Higher Education, Emergency Services, Housing Bodies, NDPBs and Agencies
• Chief Executives, Directors and Senior Leaders across all Scottish Public Bodies
• Elected Members, Board Chairs and Non-executive Directors
• Service Directors, Heads of Finance, Section 95 Officers, Treasurers and Financial Controllers, Directors of Finance
• Procurement & Commercial Directors, Category Managers, Contracting Officers, Commissioning Leads and Contract/Supplier Management Teams
• Chief Internal Auditors, Audit & Risk Committee Members and Internal Audit Teams
• Counter Fraud Heads, Investigation Managers and Intelligence Leads
• Grants, Benefits and Revenues Managers (including CTR/NNDR/Blue Badge Leads)
• Cyber Security, IT Operations and Information Governance/Records Management Leads
• Governance, Compliance, Assurance and Risk Management Professionals
• Legal Services, Standards & Ethics, and FOI/Transparency Officers
• Economic crime/cyber and specialist staff
• Third-sector/arms-length grant administrators and funding intermediaries
• Suppliers/solution providers to the public sector (analytics, e-procurement, assurance) – particularly those supporting prevention and detection controls

Speakers