Fraud Investigator

Job summary

Within the Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt Directorate (CFCD), we work to reduce fraud, error, and debt, to protect the public purse.

As a Fraud Investigator, you’ll be at the forefront of tackling fraud within the benefits system. You will manage cases throughout the investigation process, completing interviews under caution, gathering, reviewing and exhibiting evidence, preparing prosecution cases, and attending court to give evidence when required.

We offer a role where you can learn, progress, and maintain a healthy work-life balance while making a real impact.

Job description

Flexibility and adaptability are essential, as the scope of fraud investigations may vary depending on current business challenges.

Key Responsibilities:

As an Investigator you will,

• Request necessary evidence from designated sources using Authorised Officer powers.
• Collaborate with other departments and organisations such as Local Authorities, Police and HMRC within the framework of any existing partnership agreements.
• Research and gather information for investigations, ensuring it meets legal standards.
• Complete Requests for Information (RFIs) as needed.
• Record, retain, and review collected materials for criminal investigations for Disclosure purposes.
• Recommend next steps for action to Team Leaders for consideration.
• Conduct Interviews under Caution as per legal guidelines under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (England and Wales) and Common Law (Scotland).
• Prepare prosecution cases following Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and National File Standard guidance (England & Wales) and in line with Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service guidance in (Scotland)
• Attend court and give evidence in criminal cases and appeal tribunals.
• Communicate confidently and professionally with internal staff and external agencies promoting fraud awareness.

Person specification

We are looking for individuals who:

• Show effective leadership and communication skills to engage with diverse audiences and partners.
• Have excellent organisation and planning skills.
• Use strong judgement and decision-making abilities.
• Present information professionally to both internal and external audiences.
• Pay attention to small and subtle detail and are able to identify discrepancies or inconsistencies across very detailed types of evidence e.g. identify documents that are potentially not original or official
• Work well both alone and in a team.
• Handle challenging and vulnerable individuals appropriately.
• Inspire others with positivity, drive, and energy to achieve goals and implement change.
• Be willing to travel between sites as needed.
• Adapt to a demanding and changing environment.
• Exhibit honesty, integrity, and probity.
• Possess excellent writing and drafting skills.

Travel Requirements

This role involves travel and may require attendance at:

• Briefings and operational planning meetings with external stakeholders, including Police, Lawyers, and Barristers
• Interviews conducted under Caution
• Court appearances as required
• Business and private addresses to obtain witness statements
• Successful candidates must be able to travel at short notice, retrieve evidence, and be available during unsociable hours— including nights, weekends, and across various locations nationally. A departmental vehicle or hire car may be provided, subject to holding a full UK driving licence.

Essential Learning Requirements

Successful candidates (Scotland) must be willing to attain the mandatory ACFIP qualification (Accredited Counter Fraud Investigators Programme) and be required to undertake the technical functions of the role.

All candidates are advised of the requirement to undertake any future mandatory learning and on-going continuous professional development appropriate to their job role.

Please Note - Appointments to this role will be subject to successful completion of the ACFIP Qualification. Failure to achieve the required level to pass the course may result in redeployment into another DWP role (or DWP formal procedures being used which could result in termination of contract).

Government Counter Fraud Profession (GCFP)

At DWP, we are committed to developing a skilled and professional workforce. Fraud Officers are required to attain and maintain Practitioner-level membership of the Government Counter Fraud Profession (GCFP) through an annual self-assessment, demonstrating their expertise in the role. We support all post holders with structured learning pathways and workplace adjustments to help them succeed. Failure to achieve Practitioner-level membership may result in DWP seeking an alternative role for you. By applying, you confirm that you have read and understood the professional requirements of the role.

Candidate Integrity Declaration

Before an offer of employment is made, successful candidates will be asked to declare the following, to the best of their knowledge:

• Any previous disciplinary findings related to conduct in employment.
• Any ongoing disciplinary proceedings or unresolved notifications of potential misconduct.
• Any criminal convictions, police cautions, or legal findings—whether spent or unspent.

Please note: Disclosure of this information will not automatically exclude candidates from consideration. However, it is important for the Department to be aware of any matters that could affect a candidate’s credibility, particularly if they may be required to give evidence in court.

Civil Service Careers

The attached link will take you to the Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt website, which gives you further information about these roles. CFCD , Civil Service Careers

Webinar event

We will be holding a webinar event to let you know more about these roles. This will take place on Tuesday 15/09/2026 between 12 noon and 1pm . Please follow the link to register for the session.

478004 - Fraud Investigator Webinar

** If the webinar page does not open, please check that pop-ups are enabled on your browser**.

Those who attend may be contacted following the event for evaluation purposes to improve our service.

Civil Service Careers

The attached link will take you to the Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt website which gives you further information about these roles CFCD , Civil Service Careers.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,137, Department for Work and Pensions contributes

£9,310 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

DWP have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:

• Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
• Generous annual leave – at least 23 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
• Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
• Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
• Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
• Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
• An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Ability and Experience.

**Please ensure you read the full information about the selection process thoroughly, before starting your application**.

The closing date for your full application (Application Form, Caseworker Skills Test, CV and Behavioural Statements) is 23:55 on Tuesday 22nd September 2026**

Stage 1 – Application Form

Please complete the application form with your basic information, which includes your personal details, eligibility to apply and any reasonable adjustments required.

Stage 2 – Online Test

After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Casework Skills Test If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application.

Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 23:55 on 22/09/2026 . If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.

Our online test supplier will be performing scheduled maintenance between 12:00 and 13:00 on 13/09/2026. You will be unable to access tests during this period.

If you are in the middle of a test when the maintenance begins, your progress will be paused. You will be able to resume your test from where you left off via your application centre once the downtime has ended. Please note that you will not be able to launch any new tests while the system is offline.

IMPORTANT: After the test deadline, we will look at all candidate scores to decide what the job’s pass mark will be. We will consider the impact on protected groups and the number of invitations to the next stage. We may decide to raise the pass mark for the job - if so, you will be informed, and you will be told if you have passed or failed at the raised standard. Meeting the minimum test requirements for a job level is no guarantee of an invite to continue the selection process.

Stage 3 - Curriculum Vitae (CV)

You will be asked to complete a CV with details of your job history, full qualification details, previous skills and experience. You are not required to upload your personal CV.

In the previous skills/experience section you should detail your employment and/or education history relevant to this vacancy (we recommend a maximum of 500 words).

The CV will also cover your work history (we recommend you include up to the last 3 roles of employment history, plus any others that you feel are relevant) and your qualifications.

Your CV will not be formally assessed, so please put the main evidence of your skills into your Behavioural statements. Your CV will be used to add context to your behavioural statements.

Stage 4 – Behavioural Statements and Sift

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete examples of the Civil Service behaviours below, using no more than 250 words for each behaviour. These should contain things you have done in the past and how yo