Lie detectors to hunt out benefit cheats

A lie detector test that has slashed benefit fraud by more than £330,000 is being rolled out in the UK.

The Voice Risk Analyser (VRA) system will be piloted by another 15 councils following its success in seven areas of the country.

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The system, developed by Capita Group and DigiLog UK, detects tell-tale stress patterns in the voice of benefit claimants over the phone and tips off officials, who decide on whether to investigate the claimant further.

In Harrow, one of the first councils to trial the technology from May last year, it has already helped the council save more than £330,000 by exposing about 43 people on the wrong benefits.

The VRA helped investigators in seven pilot councils identify a change in a claimant's circumstance that would have otherwise been missed, in 30 per cent of calls classified as 'high risk'.

It is being used by 14 councils, seven of which have released their successful trial results.

Councils will be able to apply for a share of the £1.5m that the government has made available for the latest pilots.

A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said the decision on whether to roll out the scheme nationwide would depend on the results of these new trials.

Critics have attacked the system, claiming it could intimidate vulnerable people into not claiming benefits they are entitled to.

In a statement, anti-fraud minister James Plaskitt said: "This positive and encouraging news from the pilots shows that this technology is helping to combat benefit fraud.

"It is also making it quicker and easier to review claims, especially for those people who are genuinely entitled to benefits."

He added: "We need to continue to do more to make sure that taxpayers' money always goes to those who need it the most."

The government says benefit fraud has dropped from £2bn in 2001 to £0.8bn in 2006/07.

The system is also being tested by Jobcentre Plus in Nottinghamshire, which will release the results of its trial in August 2008.