Blackstone’s Counter Fraud Professionals’ Handbook

Fraud costs the United Kingdom a reported 219 billion per year. Making up over 40 per cent of all crime reported, fraud is now the most prevalent crime type across the UK, with an estimated 3.3 million incidents of fraud committed annually.
Whether you are a new or an experienced counter fraud practitioner, Blackstone’s Counter Fraud Professional’s Handbook offers a detailed understanding of all the relevant law, practice, theory, and procedure that you will need. Developed from first-hand insights from those involved in the development of the Government Counter Fraud Profession, it will help you to understand and deploy prevention, risk assessment, and measurement techniques to improve your overall understanding of fraud and your response.
The book’s practical straightforward advice will help you build awareness to plan your effective response in the following areas:
BL bribery and corruption insight and investigation techniques; BL leadership skills, integrity, and effectiveness; BL investigation models and techniques; BL emerging and existing legislation to have in your counter fraud toolkit; BL fraud risk assessment, prevention, and measurement techniques.
This text gives you ready access to the authors’ extensive experience, knowledge, research, and reference materials to assist you on your own counter fraud journey.

Michael J. Betts, Head of Capability and Learning, Public Sector Fraud Authority, Laura Eshelby, Deputy Director, Public Sector Fraud Authority, David Whitehouse-Hayes, Senior Manager, Public Sector Fraud Authority

Michael James Betts is Head of Capability and Learning with responsibility for the Government Counter Fraud Profession, which is operated by the Public Sector Fraud Authority, part of the Cabinet Office. Prior to joining the team, he held a number of fraud and learning related positions across policing and the not-for-profit sector.

He is an experienced counter fraud professional having 36 years’ experience in combating fraud and financial crime. His professional interests include the history of corruption with particular focus on the impact on procurement and people. He was integral to the development of the Fraud Investigation Model which has been embedded throughout policing and beyond. He is an expert in developing economic crime occupational standards and training programmes.

Michael is the named author of Investigation of Fraud and Economic Crime published in March 2017 and holds a master’s degree in Fraud Management with distinction from Middlesex University.

Laura Eshelby has worked in counter fraud roles in the Public Sector for over 20 years, including operationally as a fraud and financial investigator for the Legal Aid Agency, prior to joining the Cabinet Office in 2014. Her most recent role is as Deputy Director for the Public Sector Fraud Authority, leading the development and growth of the Government Counter Fraud Profession, where she is also the current editor of the Public Sector Counter Fraud Journal. Laura studied Sociology at the University of Surrey, before undertaking an LLB at the College of Law in London, and recently received her Advanced Certificate in Managing Fraud (ICA).

David Whitehouse-Hayes’ twenty-year career in Local Government & DWP as a Counter Fraud Manager & Financial Investigator developed deep subject matter expertise in Welfare fraud. Since joining the Cabinet Office in 2017, he has supported ministers and senior officials as a Welfare fraud SME, setting targets, performance monitoring, and advising on loss measurement and preventative savings development.

David is a founding member of the Government Counter Fraud Profession (GCFP), improving counter fraud capability and leading the development of the GCFP Prevention Standard. David is an associate member of Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD), combining counter fraud expertise with formal capability accreditation.