Tackling fraud in Scotland’s public sector: Strategy and action to prevent and detect it

This is a webinar organised by MacKay Hannah to address fraud in the public sector.

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

Find out more and register here.

End of page.