Public sector service provision

Public authorities, including police services and security, planning control, licensing, immigration, child protection, administration and enforcement of parking control and healthcare services, are carried out with public funding. In some cases, even private organisations carry out public functions on behalf of the authority.  

The government offers some benefits to people like people with disabilities, who get a blue badge or relaxation in congestion charges, which some people sometimes misuse. Some people sell a resident car parking permit to a non-resident, another form of public service misuse. 

Those who try to get benefit claims deliberately by hiding information or giving false information may have to pay administrative penalties for getting the benefits, called an overpayment if they are found guilty.

Sometimes, victims receive calls from people impersonating the public or IRS officers who threaten to pay upfront charges to avoid legal issues. 

For example, during the Covid crisis, many impersonators pretended to be from government-funded healthcare organisations, and they offered bogus medical aid and vaccine plans to the targets. 

The government has been setting up task forces to help vulnerable young people. During the COVID crisis, fraudsters posing as genuine organisations like banks targeted vulnerable people isolated at home by leaving cards at their doors, pretending to be from charities or public services. 

They aimed to trick people into opening malicious emails and divulging details which they could use to obtain their grants and other benefits. In general, police update all the information related to any actions as per the predetermined standards. 

They do not personally send emails or voicemails seeking public funds, so one should be careful not to provide their details to the criminal groups who target public service benefits.