The NFIB was developed and is overseen by the City of London Police as part of its role as a national lead for economic crime investigation, and is funded by the Home Office.

[1][2] The NFIB analyses information from a large number of organisations within the public and private sectors, including industry, commerce and government sources.

Investigators from both law enforcement and private sector backgrounds analyse the raw intelligence for distinct patterns of fraudulent activity and behaviour.

When patterns are spotted, such as an identifying a persistent offender or linked activities, intelligence reports are sent to relevant regional police or law enforcement organisations for investigation, which may involve enquiries throughout the UK and overseas.

In April 2019, a major watchdog report condemned the police for having a defeatist culture in relation to investigating fraud.