Keeping under the radar: watch out for “Smurfs”

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to argue that small‐scale, low‐value but high‐volume fraud should be pursued as seriously as high‐value, organised crime‐related fraud. Design/methodology/approach - The paper discusses the consequences of profiling offenders and offences involving fraud against the European Community budget. It also looks at ten years of the body tasked with investigating such fraud and suggests that it has become bogged down with too many responsibilities and too few resources. It ends by describing the requirements for a successful investigative environment. Findings - The political nature of the fight against fraud means that measures based solely on economic criteria are a mistake; measures against political and social harm need to be developed to assist in prioritization. Practical implications - Public education is required to change the image of those who commit fraud against the Community budget. A different institutional set‐up is also advisable. Originality/value - The paper applies the lessons learned from targeting frequent offenders in the UK who are being ignored because each individual offence is not worth pursuing but, once the offences in total are recognised, much harm could be prevented.