By Nick Heath, 18 February 2008 16:19
NEWS
Computer voice analysis is being used to root out benefit cheats - helping to save a council more than £300,000.
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The Voice Risk Analysis (VRA) system has helped Harrow Council save £336,711 in benefit pay outs and stop 43 incorrect payments.
The Capita VRA system is being trialled by 12 UK councils and works by detecting stress patterns - such as hesitation or changing of answers - in the voice of callers to indicate whether they might be lying.
Since Harrow began the £63,000 trial in May last year, more than a quarter of claimants said they no longer required benefits as their circumstances had changed - double the rate of previous voluntary admissions.
Only five per cent of people refused to use the VRA system when told of the pilot being run by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The system identified 119 of 998 people assessed (12 per cent), as being at "high risk" of dishonesty - with 43 of those subsequently found to be on incorrectly paid benefits.
The government estimates benefit fraud cost around £700m in the financial year 2006/07, while Harrow Council alone lost £250,000 through fraudulent claims over the same period.
Griselda Colvin, head of benefits at Harrow Council, said: "It is ensuring that we are paying the right people the right benefit entitlement and we are paying them quicker. We have had a huge increase in the number of people coming forward and saying 'my income has gone up' or 'my rent has decreased'. I would say it is the technology and the threat of the system that has given us the results."
Harrow's saving was made up of £284,461 in housing benefit and £52,249 in council tax benefit - the two areas in which the 12-month trial of the technology is being tested.
The system is also being used in Birmingham, Chester-le-Street, Coventry, Derwentside, Durham, Edinburgh, Hinckley and Bosworth, Lambeth, Rochford, Sedgefield, Warwick and Wealden.
It is also being piloted within Lincoln Contact Centre and Jobcentres in the Nottinghamshire district.
A DWP spokesman said: "This technology will actually support customers and has the potential to improve the claims process whilst deterring fraudulent claims. We will be conducting a full evaluation in due course."
A potentially fraudulent benefit claim is not dismissed purely on the grounds of the VRA identifying somebody as "high risk", it is instead used as a trigger to prompt further questioning and investigation by the council's benefit fraud team.
Comments
There are 4 comments. Join the discussion
1. Roger Huffadine
New to councils but its been used in the insurance industry for at least 10 years.
2. Tony Norris
So this system is less than 50% accurate, and they're implying a half decent call operator wouldn't have spotted at least the same?
I would suggest it's the announcement that 'clever electronic lying detectors' are being used in this call would dissuade the casual fraudulent attempts thus cutting down the overall fraud. But how long can the myth that this technology really works last for?
This technology is a placebo at best and a harrassment of innocent applicants at worst. This will not deter the hardcore fraud offenders, and will not catch them either.
3. John H Woods
I am fascinated by this because my understanding is that these technologies do not really work in and of themselves, but more as 'props' to create an environment in which deceit is harder for all but the most accomplished liars.
I wonder if the sales team that sold this technology would pass the test themselves, if they had to assert that it was a proven technology? But then they do say that the difference between a car salesman and a computer systems salesman is that only the former knows when he's lying.
4. Karen Challinor
as I said before the smooth operator who isn't showing any stress will breeze through the interview, collect their dosh, hop into their ferrari and drive off into the sunset
but the poor sod who is out of work for no reason of their own, who just wants to put food on the table for their kids, and is highly stressed about it, will set off this childs toy which will then raise a lot more hoops for them to jump through before they get even a sniff of some help and will probably lose them the roof over their head before any money is given
none of which will decrease their stress level in the slightest
now this is my tax money as much as anyone elses thats being paid out and I do want to see it's paid out to the right people, I don't see this measure achieving that