Lie detectors are being used to root out benefit cheats - helping to save a council more than £11,000.

The Voice Risk Analysis (VRA) system has helped Wealden District Council stop 35 incorrect payments.

It works by detecting stress patterns - such as hesitation or changing of answers - in the voice of callers to indicate whether they might be lying.

Changes are measured against the callerís ìnormalî voice which is recorded at the start of a phone call when a series of basic questions are asked.

The system is being trialled in Wealden alongside 11 other local authorities.

In a report to councillors, Ian Nisbet, the council's benefits manager, said: "There were 35 cases where overpayments amounting to approximately £11,500 were raised as a result of changes in their circumstances they had failed to notify of.

"Included in these cases were eight that were identified as high risk by the technology and visits were carried out as a result.

"The figure is very low. It demonstrates that the vast majority of Wealden's caseload is honest and compares favourably with results from other pilots conducted in large urban conurbations."

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the lie detector test acts as a deterrent to would-be fraudsters, with higher numbers of claimants volunteering that their personal circumstances had altered and that they no longer required benefits.

Mr Nisbet added: "Some customers have also decided not to proceed with their claim once they are aware of the process for various reasons, for example, they remember that the partner who had left has suddenly moved back in."

The technology monitors changes in the voice and performs thousands of mathematical calculations.

It supports the judgement of the council's telephone operators who are trained in intelligent questioning and behavioural analysis.

The system is also being trialled in Birmingham, Chester-le-Street, Coventry, Derwentside, Durham, Edinburgh, Harrow, Hinckley and Bosworth, Lambeth, Rochford, Sedgefield, and Warwick.

The Government has announced its intention to extend the evaluation process for a further year with a view to rolling out the scheme nationally.

Anti-fraud minister James Plaskitt said every council could have one by the end of next year.

He said: "Overall, the huge majority of people who receive benefits are entitled to them. ìHowever, there is a minority who will still try to steal money from those people who are most vulnerable.

"The cheats are not getting past this system as the evidence already shows it is very good at detecting stress levels in the voice."

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