162 suspected cases of fraud have been investigated by Scarborough Borough Council's fraud team over the last year.
While some are related to council tax and business rates a large number have been in respect of COVID support payments to local businesses.
Sarah Wallis is from Fraud prevention service Veritau who work on behalf of the council.
The council say that £67,000 of COVID 19 business support grants paid out in the Scarborough Borough were either fraudulent or claimed in error.
The Borough Councils fraud team have so far recovered £38,000 of that money.
Veritau say that organised criminals had been quick to target the COVID grant schemes, with reports from councils nationally receiving false applications. The counter fraud team says it shares intelligence updates from work with other councils, and national contacts, to alert staff to potential identities and bank accounts which are being used to commit fraud.
Sarah Wallis from the team says they have identified fraud in other payments too.
An anti-fraud leaflet was included with annual council tax bills issued to all domestic properties in spring 2022. The leaflet raised awareness of fraud with the public and provided information on how to report concerns to the counter fraud team.
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