Lauren Dalton
London,UK
Summary
A dedicated Fraud Officer with hands-on experience investigating complex benefit fraud within DWP's Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt directorate, managing high-volume caseloads and independently reaching evidence-based decisions under pressure. Underpinned by a BA (Hons) in Criminology from Nottingham Trent University and practical experience within the justice system, gained through roles at the Royal Courts of Justice and Dartford County Court. Brings strong analytical, investigative and stakeholder management skills, with a proven ability to manage competing priorities, handle sensitive information with discretion, and communicate clearly across a range of audiences.
Overview
1
1
Certification
4
4
years of professional experience
Work History
Fraud Officer
Department For Work & Pensions
Aldgate, London
05.2025 - Current
- Manage a live caseload of 65+ concurrent fraud investigations across two campaigns with different decision-making models, closing over 300 cases to date.
- Gather, verify and assess evidence from multiple sources to identify fraud.
- Hold direct decision-making responsibility on some cases, independently reaching fair and defensible outcomes within tight deadlines.
- Conduct telephony and in-person interviews, pursuing all reasonable lines of enquiry.
- Reviewed claims and verified accuracy of declarations, taking corrective action to rectify identified errors.
- Produced detailed case files and reports for decision makers, facilitating benefit reassessment and overpayment calculations.
- Maintain accurate records, handling and redacting sensitive material appropriately.
- Handle cases involving vulnerable claimants with care and sound judgment.
- Balance legislative requirements, operational needs and proportionality when making decisions.
- Coordinated with internal and external partners to share intelligence and advance case progress.
- Act as Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for a specific internal programme.
- Build and maintain quality standards in line with DWP policy and CFCD procedures.
- Work flexibly within the team, adapting to changing demands.
- Built Excel-based trackers adopted across the department for caseload monitoring.
- Mentor new starters and support team capability through job shadowing and guidance documentation.
- Promote fraud awareness internally and with external business partners.
Administrative Assistant/Court Clerk
HMCTS
Strand, London
06.2023 - 09.2023
- Carried out clerking duties for civil and family courts, supervising case progress from opening to closing.
- Supported judges across high-volume proceedings, managing up to 150 cases daily.
- Prepared and delivered court documents, including court bundles and orders, to tight deadlines with consistent accuracy.
- Reviewed, processed and printed legal documentation on the in-house computer system, ensuring compliance with court procedures.
- Managed extensive filing systems, maintaining accurate and accessible records.
- Documented court proceedings and judgments with attention to detail.
- Clarified court procedures and technical information for stakeholders, enhancing their understanding and experience.
- Provided guidance to claimants and court users on legal precedents and court proceedings.
- Liaised regularly with judges, barristers, solicitors and members of the public, building strong professional relationships.
- Acted as first point of contact for those attending court, providing information on courtroom allocation and hearing times.
- Set up courtrooms and confirmed all parties had arrived and were correctly placed ahead of hearings.
- Coordinated communication with involved parties to ensure all were informed of case developments. and briefed judges and court officials as needed.
- Maintained order and a professional atmosphere in courtrooms and hearing rooms.
- Handled sensitive information with discretion and maintained confidentiality throughout.
- Delivered compassionate support to court users during delays, helping to alleviate stress and maintain a respectful environment.
- Made informed decisions on courtroom allocation based on case complexity, duration and accessibility needs.
- Handled incoming and outgoing correspondence across multiple channels.
- Adapted to rapidly changing daily priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Coordinated administrative tasks across multiple departments.
- Used Microsoft Office and in-house court systems for document preparation and correspondence.
Administrative Assistant/Court Clerk
His Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service
Dartford, Kent
06.2022 - 08.2022
- Printed daily court hearing lists for judges and set up courtrooms, including lighting, equipment and audio checks.
- Prepared papers and files for court and hearings, including trial briefs, pleadings and other court and tribunal documents.
- Coordinated scheduling based on hearing duration, room and judicial availability to optimise courtroom usage.
- Managed a demanding daily workload of up to 50 cases, prioritising competing tasks under pressure.
- Collected and delivered files and bundles to the judiciary, ensuring all necessary papers were available for hearings.
- Maintained regular contact with the judiciary and courts nationwide to coordinate hearings and gather information.
- Managed face-to-face, phone and email queries, delivering customer service and guidance on form completion and court procedures.
- Communicated with parties involved in cases to brief judges and court officials, ensuring all relevant information was conveyed.
- Verified DBS checks and Bonds were in date, and photocopied sensitive documentation including these and Infant Settlement papers (birth certificates, Form N292, Form CFO320) for judicial review.
- Retrieved and created files for upcoming hearings, requesting missing files from other courts where needed.
- Assessed and entered legal documents into the computer system to ensure record accuracy.
- Booked in solicitors, barristers and other parties, confirming attendance to judges.
- Handled sensitive and safeguarding-related material with care, discretion and confidentiality.
- Took a proactive approach to anticipating and resolving issues before they affected proceedings.
- Managed correspondence via email, phone, and postal services.
- Backed up, labelled and filed audio/video equipment at the end of each day, and secured equipment and lights before close.
- Built strong working relationships with judiciary, barristers and solicitors nationally.
- Collected telephone numbers for telephone hearings and added them to the judges' list for the next day.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Criminology
Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham01-2024
Skills
- Fraud investigation
- Evidence analysis
- Case management
- Case management systems
- Document preparation
- Report writing
- Interviewing
- Decision-making
- Pattern recognition
- Caseload management
- Record-keeping
- Attention to detail
- IT literacy
- MS Office Suite
- Team collaboration
- Stakeholder liaison
- Written communication
- Verbal communication
- Teamwork
- Team leadership
- Problem-solving
- Critical thinking
- Conflict resolution
- Confidentiality
Certification
- Enhanced DBS
- Government Counter Fraud Profession
Timeline
Fraud Officer
Department For Work & Pensions
05.2025 - Current
Administrative Assistant/Court Clerk
HMCTS
06.2023 - 09.2023
Administrative Assistant/Court Clerk
His Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service
06.2022 - 08.2022
Bachelor of Arts - Criminology
Nottingham Trent University