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NFI: flexible matching and mortality screening examples

Updated 21 March 2023

This document gives examples of how organisations can use the National Fraud Initiative (NFI) flexible matching and mortality screening services. Find out more about additional services available to public sector organisations.

1. Identifying pension overpayments

This service uses more frequent mortality screening to identify cases where payments were continuing to pensioners who had died.

The NFI helped identify 2,910 cases where pensioners had died but payments were continuing, identified by pension schemes. The average pension overpayment, actual plus estimated, was £33,677.

Source: NFI report May 2012

Submit data relating to pensions, blue badges and concessionary travel for mortality screening matching to DDRI data in September and DWP data the following June.

This provides a flexible and affordable solution for schemes of all sizes, enabling monthly screening, if preferred.

DWP deceased records include National Insurance numbers and records of deaths of UK citizens abroad. This enables the NFI to give an accurate and comprehensive match.

1.1 Example cost of more frequent mortality screening

Data	Cost
Pensions data file (7,500 records)	£350
Blue badges data file (3,500 records)	£350
Concessionary travel passes data file (9,000 records)	£350
Total for DDRI	£1,050
Cost for repeating again through DWP	£1,050
Total cost for two matching runs	£2,100

2. Identifying incorrect Council Tax single person discounts

This matches Council Tax single person discount (SPD) data to identify discounts that were awarded incorrectly.

Local authorities identified £50 million SPD awarded incorrectly. The cumulative total since the NFI started this match is £114 million. Councils have stopped discounts in over 99,000 cases.

Source: NFI report May 2012

Submit Council Tax and electoral register data at a time to suit you to detect Council Tax SPD fraud.

2.1 Example cost of more frequent SPD matching

Data	Cost
Council Tax data file	£300
Electoral register	£300
Total cost	£600

3. Identifying undeclared income

This uses a Housing Benefit to payroll data match to identify undeclared income.

The NFI helped councils in England to uncover benefit frauds and overpayments worth £31 million. Action taken against benefit fraudsters included 636 prosecutions, 564 administrative penalties and 689 cautions. The average housing benefit overpayment in England was £4,038.

Source: NFI report May 2012

A group of neighbouring organisations (local authorities, housing associations, NHS bodies), as a syndicate, can submit current housing benefit claimants and payroll data for cross matching across the syndicate.

3.1 Example cost of more frequent matching to identify undeclared income

Data	Cost
Housing benefit data file	£300
Payroll data file	£300
Total cost	£600
Cost for repeating twice	£1,200
Cost of repeating four times	£2,400

4. Identifying those not eligible for social housing

This uses social housing data to identify individuals who are not eligible for social housing, before offering tenancies. The frequency of the match can be timed to suit your risk assessment (for example every quarter, half year or yearly).

321 false applications were removed from housing waiting lists following a pilot with London borough councils.

Source: NFI report May 2012

A social housing provider can submit data relating to individuals near or at the top of the housing waiting list for matching against the NFI national datasets (such as other housing tenancy data and UK Border Agency Immigration data).

4.1 Example cost of more frequent housing waiting list matching

Data	Cost
Housing waiting list data file	£300
Total cost	£300
Cost for repeating twice	£600
Cost for repeating four times	£1,200

5. Identifying potential sub-letting or multiple tenancies

This uses regional social housing data matching to identify potential sub-letting or multiple tenancies.

Social landlords were able to recover 86 properties from those in unlawful occupation and reallocate the properties to tenants in genuine need of them.

Source: NFI report May 2012

A group of neighbouring organisations (local authorities and housing associations), as a syndicate, can each submit current housing tenants, current housing waiting list and housing benefits data for cross matching across the syndicate.

5.1 Example cost of more frequent housing tenancy matching

Data	Cost
Housing tenants data file	£300
Housing waiting list data file	£300
Housing benefits data file	£300
Total cost	£900
Cost for repeating twice	£1,800

6. Preventing illegal working

164 employees were dismissed or asked to resign because they had no right to work in the UK. Employers are liable for a penalty of up to £10,000 if they employ an illegal worker

Source: NFI report May 2012

An employer can submit payroll data for matching against the NFI national datasets (such as other payroll data and Home Office immigration data).

6.1 Example cost of more frequent matching to immigration data

Applications for employment data file	£300
Total cost	£300
Cost for repeating twice	£600