Mobile phone data is being used by investigators in Hertfordshire to crack down on fraudsters and rogue traders, county councillors have been told.
New figures show that in 2024/25, fraud investigators used communications data to identify social housing tenants who had been sub-letting their properties. In the same period, trading standards officers used similar data to build cases against rogue traders, resulting in over £100,000 being reimbursed to affected customers.
County council investigators can apply to access mobile phone data under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA). This legislation does not allow access to the content of calls or messages, but it does permit data on when and where a call was made, a message sent, or an internet connection accessed.
In 2024/25, council officials were granted access to communications data 66 times, up from 43 authorisations in 2023/24.
The use of this power was outlined on Tuesday (July 8) during a meeting of the council’s public health and community safety cabinet panel.
According to the report presented to councillors, mobile phone data was used in at least two investigations into sub-letting of social housing last year.
In one case, the data showed a tenant had been at the social housing address twice, but at a different address 407 times.
When confronted, the tenant reportedly admitted to the offence and gave up their tenancy.
“The keys were returned and the property was brought back into stock to be let to tenants more deserving of it,” says the report.
In another case, the report says:
“Heavy usage of a communications mast that was not the most local to the social housing property provided crucial evidence for action to be taken.”
Other investigative methods such as accessing bank records would have “failed to identify the fraud”, the report adds.
Trading standards officers also used mobile phone data to investigate two roofing fraud cases.
In one example, the report highlights a vulnerable 80-year-old woman who hired a trader to pave a pathway. The job escalated to include a driveway, shed work, and installation of railings — for a total of £25,000, which the customer said she had not agreed to and could not afford.
After unsuccessful attempts to contact the trader, officers used mobile phone data to locate him.
The report says the builder had been using a false name.
Each year, councillors must review how RIPA legislation has been used by the council.
At Tuesday’s meeting, councillors were asked to note the report and support related policies — including those covering directed surveillance, covert human intelligence sources, and the acquisition and disclosure of communications data.
The report also confirmed that in 2024/25, directed surveillance was authorised twice. Both authorisations were for trading standards investigations into alleged under-age sales of vapes, knives, and alcohol.
In one operation, test purchases were made at 14 premises. One business sold a vape to under-age volunteers.
In the second operation, test purchases were carried out at seven premises for alcohol and vapes. No sales were made.
Deborah is a Local Democracy Reporter covering news across Hertfordshire, with a strong focus on councils, local government and public policy. Her reporting includes county council decisions, council tax, spending pressures, legal and regulatory issues, healthcare stories including junior doctors, and community projects affecting local residents.
