Series synopsis
Fraud Squad is a British documentary crime television series that premiered on BBC One on February 4, 2019. It stars Michelle Ackerley.
Following the investigators tracking down the criminals who steal £1.25 billion every year from the NHS - from organised crime rings to NHS staff themselves.
Premise
Following the investigators tracking down the criminals who steal £1.25 billion every year from the NHS - from organised crime rings to NHS staff themselves.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Michelle Ackerley as Self - Presenter
Episodes
This series spans 6 seasons with 50 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 5 | February 4, 2019 | February 8, 2019 |
| Season 2 | 10 | February 3, 2020 | February 14, 2020 |
| Season 3 | 5 | May 10, 2021 | May 17, 2021 |
| Season 4 | 10 | January 31, 2022 | February 28, 2022 |
| Season 5 | 10 | September 18, 2023 | September 29, 2023 |
| Season 6 | 10 | July 14, 2025 | July 25, 2025 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Investigators are on the case of a hospital worker who has stolen vital surgical equipment worth over £1 million to sell online. Elsewhere, a student nurse swindles thousands of pounds from the NHS to splash out on plastic surgery and foreign holidays. |
February 4, 2019 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Investigators are on the trail of a global scam that has conned a series of NHS hospitals out of over £12.5 million, and a hospital cashier leads the high life - taking money meant for patients and putting it in to her own bank account. |
February 5, 2019 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 A locksmith sees pound signs when he is put in charge of a London hospital - and pockets nearly half a million pounds by overcharging the hospital for supplies. Elsewhere, an NHS manager dreams up a scam to siphon over £800,000 of NHS money into his own account. |
February 6, 2019 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 The Fraud Squad are on the hunt for a manager who treats the NHS like a cash machine, and an organised crime gang try to swindle the public purse of £13 million. |
February 3, 2020 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 The hunt is on for a ruthless fantasist who has defrauded our NHS of thousands, and a cold-hearted insurance cheat exploits the horror of the Manchester bombing. |
February 4, 2020 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Join the UK’s fraud specialists as they investigate a wealthy manager taking the NHS for a ride, a million-pound tax fraudster claiming to be a spy, and an organised crime gang who prey on the innocent in order to launder their dirty cash. |
February 5, 2020 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 A council worker splurges £200,000 of public funds on horse riding and holidays, and a woman pretends she can barely move in order to pocket half a million pounds in benefits. |
May 10, 2021 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 A conwoman brazenly steals £1 million from the public purse to fund her lavish lifestyle, and a trusted parish clerk secretly transfers the entire council budget to himself. |
May 12, 2021 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 A supposedly trustworthy local pharmacist doctors prescriptions to earn himself £76,000, and corrupt council workers steal £1 million of public cash in a sophisticated inside job. |
May 13, 2021 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 School staff steal £500,000 to fund shopping sprees, a former NHS worker books flights and hotels worth thousands, and a benefits cheat is caught on camera, showing her prized dogs. |
January 31, 2022 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 A senior doctor steals £70,000 from the NHS and colleagues, a family of fraudsters commit a decade of benefits fraud, and we join the fight against Blue Badge fraud. |
February 1, 2022 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 A charity treasurer steals £270,000 to fund first-class travel, a finance manager goes on a spending spree with school money, and a council tenant illegally sublets his flat. |
February 2, 2022 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 A removals boss films himself smuggling two million cigarettes into the UK, a fraudster poses as a single mum for £100,000 of benefits, and a GP practice manager defrauds the NHS. |
September 18, 2023 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 A golf pro cheats the public purse out of thousands, a benefits cheat is caught performing as an Elvis impersonator, and a conman invents 188 fake kids to steal nearly £2 million. |
September 19, 2023 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 A former Inland Revenue employee steals £7 million from HMRC, a woman claims a council flat while letting her home, and a benefit scrounger fakes single status to max her claims. |
September 20, 2023 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 A hospital surgeon forges his own payslips to defraud the NHS out of £28,000. And the Environment Agency discovers toxic waste being dumped illegally in a quarry. |
July 14, 2025 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 A family dodges £60,000 in income tax by turning their home into an illegal puppy farm. And the NHS boss who stole more than half a million pounds to fund a lavish lifestyle. |
July 15, 2025 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 A trusted GP manager fiddles the books to pocket over £300,000 to fund her lavish spending. And the man who used the Covid pandemic to steal over £100,000 from the public purse. |
July 16, 2025 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | BBC One |
|---|---|
| First aired | February 4, 2019 |
| Last aired | July 25, 2025 |
| Runtime | 45 minutes |
| Status | continue |