Oxford Investigation Service

What Oxford Investigation Service does

Oxford Investigation Service (OIS) is a UK public-sector counter fraud service operating as an integral department of Oxford City Council, headquartered at Oxford Town Hall. Commercialised in 2015 under Counter Fraud Manager Scott Warner (in role since 2014), the service delivers bespoke investigations, due diligence, counter fraud consultancy, legal support, training, and a risk-based Data Matching Service to local authorities and housing associations across the United Kingdom. Under Warner's leadership the team has generated cumulative outcomes exceeding £26.5 million for Oxford City Council and £14 million for partner organisations, with named engagements including Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, Warwick District Council, Reading Borough Council, Hightown Housing Association, The Riverside Group, and L&Q.

The service portfolio comprises six interconnected professional offerings: full-service Investigations (intelligence gathering, interviews under caution, covert surveillance, case management, prosecution-grade file preparation); a Data Matching Service delivered in partnership with a leading public sector software provider to detect housing and Council Tax discount fraud; Due Diligence Services covering Right To Buy, Right To Acquire, Housing Applications, and Financial Grants; Counter Fraud Consultancy (risk analysis, process review, on-call advice); Legal Support (court files, service of legal notices, profit orders, specialist legal advice); and Training (fraud awareness, conflict management, lone worker safety). The team of approximately 7–13 accredited officers combines former Thames Valley Police detectives, Department for Work and Pensions investigators, banking-fraud intelligence specialists, and apprenticeship-pipeline recruits.

Revenue mechanics are professional-services based with bespoke, quote-based engagements tailored to each partner organisation; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led through direct relationships with local authorities and housing associations, supplemented by event-driven demand generation via the Annual Fraud Conference (10th iteration in November 2025) and partner referrals. The service operates exclusively within the United Kingdom and is publicly funded through its parent council. Recognition includes IRRV awards for Excellence in Counter Fraud (2018, 2021), Excellence in Innovation (2017), Excellence in Corporate Fraud (2016), and Excellence in Partnership Working (2021 with Reigate & Banstead), plus the 2025 Public Sector Counter Fraud Awards 'Innovation in Fraud Prevention' winner designation.

Name

Oxford Investigation Service

Legal name

Oxford Investigation Service

Website

https://oxfordinvestigationservice.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Oxford Investigation Service is the commercialised counter fraud unit of Oxford City Council, delivering bespoke investigations, data matching, due diligence, consultancy, legal support, and training to UK local authorities and housing associations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fraud Investigation Services

NAICS

Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611), Investigation and Security Services (5616)

SIC

Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)

akta.pro primary industry

Fraud Risk & Financial Crime Controls Advisory (BPAKADAL)

Keywords

• Counter fraud services
• Fraud investigation
• Due diligence services
• Data matching fraud
• Tenancy fraud prevention

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Counter Fraud Investigation Services: Professional counter fraud services including due diligence, risk consultancy, investigations, and data-matching initiatives provided to local authorities and partner organizations across the UK.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Oxford Investigation Service is a counter fraud service department within Oxford City Council that provides specialist counter fraud investigation, due diligence, and risk consultancy to UK local authorities and housing associations. Its core offering includes field investigations, counter fraud consultancy, legal support, training, and a risk-based data matching service designed to detect and prevent fraud such as tenancy fraud, sub-letting, and Right to Buy fraud. The service operates as a shared-service capability for other public sector bodies.

Product overview

Oxford Investigation Service is a counter fraud services organization operating as an integral part of Oxford City Council. The service portfolio consists of six interconnected professional service offerings: Investigations (covering intelligence gathering, interviews, covert surveillance, case management, and report preparation), Data Matching Service (risk-based fraud detection through partnership with a public sector software provider), Due Diligence Services, Counter Fraud Consultancy, Legal Support, and Training packages. These services are delivered both to Oxford City Council and partner organizations across the UK, with the organization commercializing its work since 2015. The service also hosts an Annual Fraud Conference as a key industry event.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Counter Fraud Investigations Field-based counter fraud investigation service for local authorities and housing associations, covering areas such as tenancy fraud, sub-letting, and Right to Buy fraud.
• Due Diligence Due diligence service for local authorities and housing associations to verify applicants, occupants, and transactions and prevent fraudulent activity.
• Counter Fraud Consultancy Advisory and consultancy service to help public sector organisations design, implement, and improve their counter fraud strategy, processes, and controls.
• Legal Support Legal support service providing case guidance and assistance to clients pursuing fraud-related recovery and enforcement action.
• Counter Fraud Training Training service for local authority and housing association staff to develop in-house counter fraud capability and awareness.
• Data Matching Service Risk-based data matching service that compares datasets across housing, benefits, and other public records to identify potentially fraudulent activity for further investigation.
• Annual Fraud Conference Annual industry conference hosted by Oxford Investigation Service for the local authority and housing association counter fraud community, providing networking, case studies, and thought leadership.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £26.5 million prevented in fraud losses and generated revenue for Oxford City Council under current leadership
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Reigate & Banstead Borough CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership agreement signed in 2020 following introduction at the 2019 IRRV awards. The two councils have similar goals around prevention and investigation of fraud and work together to enhance services offered to other local authorities and organisations.
• Intec for BusinesscoreTechnology or IntegrationHeadline sponsor for the Annual Fraud Conference. INTEC for Business delivers market-leading case management software to local authorities and has worked with over 120 different local authorities.
• Intelligencia TrainingcoreTechnology or IntegrationHeadline sponsor and UK largest provider of award winning Intelligence Analysis and Counter Fraud Investigator Apprenticeship programmes. Works across Government agencies, public sector departments, and law enforcement.
• Tenancy Fraud ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNot-for-profit organization established in 2012 focusing solely on tenancy fraud issues, providing free advice, training and support to social landlords.
• Penningtons Manches CooperminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUK law firm with expertise in civil fraud and commercial litigation, exhibitor at conference.
• Shared Anti-Fraud ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward winning anti-fraud partnership hosted by Hertfordshire County Council providing tenancy fraud services and investigation services to local authorities and housing associations.
• L&QminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing association for whom speaker Nicola Evans serves as Tenancy Fraud Manager. L&Q is one of the largest housing providers in the UK.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BDO UK Forensic Services: Major UK advisory firm offering fraud investigation, forensic accounting, and counter fraud services to public and private sector clients. Comparable as a larger incumbent offering overlapping counter fraud advisory and investigation work.
• Cifas: UK's leading cross-sector fraud prevention service, operating a national fraud database used by banks, insurers, and public sector organizations. Comparable as a broader fraud prevention infrastructure player that overlaps with OIS's investigative and data services.
• Mazars Forensic Investigation Services: International advisory firm providing fraud investigation, forensic accounting, and counter fraud services across the UK public sector. Comparable as a broader incumbent serving the same local authority and housing association customers.
• Crowe UK Forensic & Counter Fraud: UK accounting and advisory firm with a dedicated counter fraud and forensic investigation practice serving local authorities and housing associations. Comparable as a private-sector alternative to OIS's counter fraud consultancy offering.

Emerging players

• Intelligencia Training: UK's largest provider of intelligence analysis and counter fraud investigator apprenticeship programmes across government, public sector, and law enforcement. Comparable as a counter fraud training and capability-building partner serving the same audience as OIS's training service.
• Chorus Intelligence: Provides data cleansing, analysis, search, and entity enrichment software to UK local authorities and law enforcement. Comparable as a technology provider enabling the same fraud investigation workflows that OIS performs.

Others

• Tenancy Fraud Forum: UK not-for-profit established in 2012 focused on tenancy fraud, providing free advice, training, and support to social landlords. Comparable as an ecosystem / industry body that overlaps with OIS's tenancy fraud work and where OIS staff hold leadership roles.

Direct peers

• Shared Anti-Fraud Service: Award-winning anti-fraud partnership hosted by Hertfordshire County Council offering tenancy and investigation services to local authorities and housing associations. Directly comparable in offering, customer base, and shared-service model to Oxford Investigation Service.
• Intec for Business: UK provider of case management software used by over 120 local authorities for counter fraud and corporate investigations. Comparable both as a technology partner of OIS and as an enabler of competing fraud investigation services.
• National Anti-Fraud Network (NAFN): UK public-sector data and intelligence service supporting local councils and housing associations with fraud prevention and detection. Directly comparable as a data-driven fraud prevention partner used by the same customer segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oxford-investigation-service

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Oxford Investigation Service