Commission funds collection of fraud intelligence
Relaxation of cross county boarders, especially on mainland Europe is just one of the factors that has made distribution of fraudulent goods a serious problem affecting the whole of Europe, leading to a need for consistent and repeatable testing methods for the detection, tracing and monitoring of fraudulent activities. In response to this, the European Commission is funding an ETI (economic & technological Intelligence) project called DETECTFRAUD under the GROWTH programme of the Fifth Framework programme. Results will be used to target areas in need of research and funding in the Framework programmes. The project aims to identify areas that need antifraud measurement methods. The investigation will indicate the 'big picture' of fraud and highlight the most prevalent areas in need of research. Auditing research activities across four chosen sectors, food and drink, electronics and finance, counterfeiting and drugs and medicines will highlight areas of expertise in each technology sector. DETECTFRAUD is being coordinated by Beta Technology Limited in the UK with six partners from Austria, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Sweden and The Netherlands. Each partner will investigate fraud and antifraud methodologies in their own country before collaborating in a European investigation.