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Landlord claimed he needed social housing

February 6, 2017, 11:00 pm
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A private landlord has been prosecuted for falsely claiming a Greenwich council home and has been ordered to pay back £29,000

Mr Kandappillai Jenopan was housed in a flat in Dabion Crescent in Greenwich by the council in May 2009 having declared that he was living in overcrowded accommodation with his family.

However while investigating another tenancy issue it the council’s Internal Audit and Anti-Fraud team discovered the 40-year-old petrol garage franchisee was the owner and landlord of four residential properties in Scunthorpe at the time he obtained the one bedroom tenancy.

Further checks with the North Lincolnshire council confirmed that Mr Jenopan had been living in the Scunthorpe area for many years and that his declaration that he was living in overcrowded accommodation in the Woolwich area with family was false.

He was charged with two offences under the Fraud Act and was summonsed to appear at Bexley Magistrates Court on 14 November 2016 where he pleaded guilty to both offences. Noting his early guilty plea and deep remorse (!) Judge Katz QC sentenced Mr Jenopan to a 20 month prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered him to undertake 120 hours of unpaid work in the community at Woolwich Crown Court. At the sentencing on December 20 he also ordered him to repay its losses of £29,106.31 with the first £10,000 by December 28 which has been done. He was also ordered to repay prosecution costs of £1026.12 within two years.

Councillor Maureen O’Mara, the cabinet member for customer services, said: “Royal Borough investigators now have far greater powers to investigate tenancy fraud and to get properties back for those in genuine need of accommodation. This case shows that if you think that handing back the property will spare you from prosecution, then you should think again. Tenancy fraud is a serious matter; we will prosecute you and pursue you for our financial losses. Mr Jenopan now has a criminal record for fraud and has to repay over £30,000 to the Royal Borough.”
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Light sentence for illegal sub-letting

February 7, 2017, 6:04 am
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A man bought a home in Colchester after he was given a bpha property for himself and his family.

Taslim Goodluck, formerly of Rendlesham Walk, Bedford has been ordered to pay a total of £1,500 after pleading guilty to illegally subletting his bpha house for over two years.

An investigation, conducted by Bedford Borough Council's Investigation Team, found Mr Goodluck purchased his own house in Colchester shortly after obtaining the bpha property for himself and his family. After moving, Mr Goodluck allowed his cousin to live at the address and collected rent from her for over two years.

Mr Goodluck was prosecuted at Luton Crown Court on January 26, 2017, on one count of illegally subletting a social housing property under the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013.

The court heard that by committing this offence Mr Goodluck had deprived those genuinely in need of a home, and had allowed his cousin to bypass the housing application process.

Mr Goodluck was ordered to pay a fine of £750 and costs of £750 to Bedford Borough Council.

Portfolio Holder for Finance, Councillor Michael Headley said: "Bedford Borough Council has a strict housing application processes which allows for the fair allocation of social housing to those most in need, and those who attempt to cheat the system can expect to be prosecuted. If you know someone not living in their bpha house; subletting it to someone else; or someone who lied to get their house, then report it to the council to help stamp out tenancy fraud and make sure houses go those most in need."

Social housing fraud is the most wicked type of welfare fraud. Families are deprived of a home they need and often have to be placed in temporary accommodation at great expense. So it must be deterred. Sentences like this don't cut it.

Across the UK it is estimated 98,000 housing association or council homes are occupied by someone who should not live there. They may have obtained their tenancy fraudulently either by unlawful subletting; obtaining a home by deception or wrongly claiming succession after someone dies.
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Authorities begin efforts to claw back £200k from 'disabled' benefit fraudster caught on a treadmill

February 7, 2017, 11:00 pm
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The authorities have begun efforts to claim back hundreds of thousands of pounds from a convicted benefit cheat who acquired a £1million property portfolio in Croydon.

Angel Jackson was locked up for seven years in November after she was caught using a gym treadmill on CCTV, despite claiming to be disabled and in need of a wheelchair.

Jackson, who prosecutors are struggling to accurately identity, was found to have cheated the taxpayer out of £191,414 over a 10 year period by fraudulently claiming benefits.

On Friday (February 3), a proceeds of crime hearing against Jackson - who is locked up in HMP Bronzefield in Surrey - got under way.

The legislation allows prosecutors to confiscate any criminal property - that is anything a criminal might have gained from their crimes, including cash and real estate - in this case the two flats in Croydon Jackson bought with proceeds from her frauds.

Prosecutors will now get the power to further investigate her finances and assets so they can tell what was bought with her criminal profits. It is hoped the investigations will be finished by the summer.

Jackson, who is thought to be 52 though the prosecution admitted they cannot be sure of her real name or identity, was described as a "vain and self-important person" with a "staggering contempt for the court" when she was jailed by Judge Adam Hiddleston at Croydon Crown Court in November.

At the time the court heard she established a complex web of lies to claim housing benefit, income support and compensation from Croydon Council, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and other authorities over a ten-year period between 2002 and 2012 - altogether cheating the taxpayer out of £191,414.

She claimed for properties in which she didn't live, in the names of people who didn't exist, and for accidents that didn't happen.

Jackson even disappeared for two weeks halfway through her trial and a warrant had to be issued for her arrest before she was again caught.

She sometimes refused to leave the prison van to appear in court and also turned up in a wheelchair but was rumbled when CCTV was obtained of her using the treadmill at her luxury block's private gym in Croydon.

Jackson, who already owned a house in Mitcham, bought two swanky flats in the same block, complete with its own gym, in Croydon in 2005 for more than £300,000, and fraudulently claimed housing benefit for each of them.

She also tried to wring every penny in compensation from two car collisions using invented passengers, only to be caught when doctors spotted two separate x-rays on two separate claims were almost identical.

During the trial last year prosecutor Francesca Levett told the court Jackson lied to the local authorities and the DWP for more than a decade and defrauded the authorities out of £191,414. She said: "Far from being an honest claimant, who turned to the authorities because she was genuinely in need, she manipulated the system, told countless lies, hijacked identities and defrauded her way into becoming an affluent property owner without ever working a single day."

Although the authorities believe she is Ghanaian, Ms Levett told the jury: "We do not actually know the true identity of the defendant, nor do we know her true date of birth."

When her home was raided in September 2012, officers found £22,000 in £50 notes hidden in a wardrobe, reams of counterfeit paperwork and 12 mobile phones.

Jackson lured her soon-to-be husband, Irish-born Thomas Duffy, by telling him she was a "lady of traditional values", before buying a house with him in August 2002 - while still claiming housing benefit - and going behind his back to obtain his UK residency to support her own.

The pair had married on Valentine's Day 2002, but she stopped him from telling his family and yet she didn't even allow him to live with her.

Ms Levett said: "This was very far from a happy, new marriage, as not only did Mr Duffy not live with his wife, but the marriage wasn't ever consummated."

The court heard that "whenever he needed to sign something presented to him by his wife, his glasses would disappear". Ms Levett said: "It appears that Mr Duffy was used by his wife to purchase a property she had no intention of sharing with him."

In July 2005, Jackson bought another property, a £150,000 flat in Croydon, in her husband's name, without him knowing - and two months later bought another flat in the same building, this time in her own name, for £152,500.

Ms Levett said: "Not only did she fail to notify the authorities that she had purchased yet another property, but she then applied for housing benefit, claiming that she lived there and did not own her own property."

She lied to her husband that the home they owned together was being repossessed and that he had to move out - all to support a claim she had made on a housing benefit form. Ms Levett said: "Mr Duffy describes himself as so confused and afraid. He had lost everything, yet still the defendant collected his wages every week. He was depressed and fragile, frightened to open his door."

Jackson rented out one of the flats she had bought and in March 2011, Ruby Kunaka, and her partner Solomon Acha Morfew, agreed to move into one of Jackson's properties after meeting her. However, Jackson told them her name was Jules and that the landlord was her husband 'Alan Davies'. She prohibited her new tenants from claiming benefits or contacting the council for any reason and charged them £880 per month.

But unknown to Ms Kunaka and Mr Morfew, she was also claiming £600 a month in housing benefit on the flat, using the name Angel Jackson. Ms Levett said: "So, once the mortgage was paid, the defendant was doing very well financially, by getting two lots of rent for one property."

A few months later, in July, the new tenants complained about broken appliances and revealed to Jackson that they had contacted the Citizen's Advice Bureau about the matter. Ms Levett said: "The defendant became very angry. She threatened to throw them out straight away. The following day, just six days after their full month's rent had been paid, the defendant attended at their home address with a number of big men, and proceeded to remove all of their belongings from the flat."

In June 2007, an 'Angel Duffy' claimed for an apparent car crash in which she had suffered whiplash and a burned ankle while her husband was driving. She claimed that her friend, 'Angel Jackson', her daughter Latoya and another friend named Fifi were also injured in the crash.

Jackson said she had employed a carer called Hannah, Ms Levett said, adding: "Hannah apparently provided care for Angel and Latoya for an impossible 27 hours a day. Their total claim for care and assistance was over £53,000 for a ten month period."

Jackson, of Mitcham, also claimed £24,000 for an osteopath, falsified evidence of which was found on her computer.

Ms Levett added: "The fact that she had invoices purportedly from Hannah on her computer, together with letters from Angel Jackson, Latoya Jackson, Fifi and Angel Duffy, wholeheartedly indicates that the defendant hijacked identities, and did so comfortably."

Ms Levett added: "Her deception came to light when the x-rays of Angela Duffy and the x-rays of Angel Jackson revealed the same degenerative changes in the spine that were beyond coincidence." Both Duffy and Jackson also said they were dance instructors and each claimed for flat shoes at a cost of more than £600.

Altogether, Jackson was found guilty of 32 charges relating to her ten-year fraud campaign. She was jailed for four-and-a-half years for the fraud, two years for creating false documents and six months for illegally evicting tenants - all to be served consecutively.

Source with pictures
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£65,000 - easy tax credit fraud pickings

February 8, 2017, 11:00 pm
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An HM Revenue and Customs worker fraudulently claimed £65,000 in benefits by pretending to be a single mother, a court heard.

Nicola Farningham was employed as a tax credits advisor in HMRC's Dundee call centre advising the public about child and working tax credits.

The mother-of-four claimed she was living alone with her children and only earning up to £15,000 a year. But in reality she was living with her husband Paul at their home in the city.

Dundee Sheriff Court was told that none of the money had been repaid.

Depute fiscal Eilidh Robertson told the court that an HMRC investigation was launched in 2014 following a tip-off.

Miss Robertson said Farningham submitted forms saying she was single from 2005 onwards and that her income varied from £7,253 to £15,111 over the period of the nine-year fraud.

She said: "The investigation into the accused established that she had married Paul Farningham on 7 September 2007 and that they had four children together. The accused and Mr Farningham had shared a joint bank account since 2004 and a joint mortgage for their property which they bought together in 2005."

Investigators interviewed Farningham's colleagues, who told them that she had told them she was married and that her husband stayed in Aberdeen during the week but was home at weekends.

Mr Farningham was observed coming and going from the accused's home, letting himself in with a key on one occasion.

Investigators found his wage slips at the house, as well as Valentine's cards between the couple. Miss Robertson said: "Text messages recovered simply demonstrated that the accused and Mr Farningham were in a relationship given the romantic nature of the texts. When she was interviewed the accused said they had not been co-habiting at any stage despite buying a property and having four children."

Farningham, 39, of Dundee, admitted a charge under the Tax Credits Act committed between 15 May, 2005 and 14 July, 2014. Sheriff Alastair Carmichael deferred sentence until March and released Farningham on bail.
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Woman jailed for £32k tax credit fraud

February 11, 2017, 12:00 am
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A fraudster has been jailed for scamming £32,000 in handouts after falsely telling benefits bosses she had split from her husband.

Investigators found out Elizabeth Hughes had posted “he’s the bestest husband” while claiming to be a single mum.

Hughes told the Department for Work and Pensions she had broken up with husband Arthur in January 2010. She kept up her lie until 2013 when she told them they had reconciled.

But in reality, they had been living as husband and wife under the same roof the entire time – with Hughes raking in tens of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money over the three-year period.

Childminder Hughes claimed she had struggled with financial issues and used the cash to cover debts. But investigators found debits from her bank accounts to travel firms and Facebook images of her with her husband and children on foreign holidays.

Fiscal depute Vicki Bell told Dundee Sheriff Court: “There was also a post on Facebook saying he was ‘the bestest husband’ posted during the period of the claim that she was single. Her husband was interviewed and initially said they had separated in 2009 but only reconciled late in 2012. But at the end of the interview, he said they had only separated for three or four months in 2009.

“He admitted he knew the accused had made a single person’s tax credit claim.

“A total of £32,000 was overpaid and no money has been repaid.”

Hughes, 36, from Dundee, pled guilty to a charge under the Tax Credits Act. Sheriff Alastair Carmichael jailed her for eight months.

Source
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Benefit fraudsters con more than £1.7m out of Halton Borough Council

February 14, 2017, 2:55 am
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Benefit fraudsters have conned Halton Borough Council out of more than £1.7m over five years.

Figures released by the local authority have shown that con artists have taken hundreds of thousands of pounds each year between 2011 and 2015.

The numbers were obtained by the Weekly News after a Freedom Of Information request was submitted to the council.

The figures cover the financial years from 2011-12 to 2015-16 and shows that a total of £1,725,520 was stolen.

For the first year £387,322 was reported stolen, with £340,643 and £383,432 in 2012-13 and 2013-14 respectively. The figure dropped in 2014-15 to £359,111 and £255,012 in 2015-16.

Numbers for the current financial year were requested, but the Department For Work And Pensions took over responsibility from the council for investigating housing benefit fraud in August 2015.

The council also revealed in the request that more than 2,000 referrals were received for benefit fraud over the time period.

The number of reports dropped in each year from 593 in 2011-12 to 487 in 2012-13. A total of 474 referrals were received in 2013/14, with 430 in 2014-15 and 94 in 2015-16.

Cllr Mike Wharton, Halton Borough Council’s executive board member for resources said: “The council receives housing benefit fraud referrals from a variety of sources including the general public. Up until August 2015 the council investigated housing benefit fraud. However, since this date responsibility has passed to the Department For Work And Pensions and referrals are now passed direct to this Government department.

“The council continues to place great importance upon detecting housing benefit fraud, as indicated by the fraudulent overpayments it has uncovered over recent years, to ensure that only those who are correctly entitled to receive housing benefit do so and the public purse is not defrauded.”

Note this is only the fraud the council was aware of, so there will have been more.
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Easy peasy single person benefit frauds

February 17, 2017, 1:34 am
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A greedy mum pocketed a massive £95,000 worth of benefits after failing to declare her boyfriend had moved in with her.

Amanda Smeaton has now been given a 12 month prison sentence, suspended for one year.

A district judge sitting at MK Magistrates court heard how the 46-year-old claimed a string of benefits on the basis that she was a single mum with low earnings. She was paid tax credits, council tax benefit and housing benefit over a five year period. But all the time she was living with her partner, Glen Harwood, who was bringing in wages from a full time job, MK magistrates court heard last week.

Ms Smeaton had denied she was cohabiting, and said Mr Smeaton was a “family friend” of no fixed abode.

In a prosecution carried out by the Department of work and Pensions, she pleaded guilty to three counts of fraudulent activity through failing to disclose her domestic situation.

A district judge heard the case because he has a greater power of sentencing than the magistrates. He heard the fraud continued for five years until June 2015.

Like all claimants, Smeaton had a legal duty to declare her true circumstances and to notify the benefit agencies of any change of circumstances, say the DWP. On top of the 12 month suspended sentence, she was ordered to carry out community service.

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A benefit cheat who admitted claiming thousands of pounds worth of Income Support she wasn’t entitled to has been told to carry out unpaid work.

Margaret Weir appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court for sentencing after pleading guilty earlier this year to claiming £30,000 of Income Support and failing to notify Department of Work and Pensions officials of a change in her circumstances.

At a previous court hearing, fiscal depute Callum Forsyth said that Weir began making claims for Income Support in 1990 on the basis that she was a single parent. However, it was discovered that Weir’s ex-husband had been making financial contributions to the household.

As a result of intelligence received by the DWP, an investigation began into Weir. It was then revealed by the DWP that Weir’s ex-husband had been using the address for correspondence purposes. Weir, of Valley View, Motherwell, was then interviewed by DWP officials.

She later confessed that her ex-husband had been making payments to the household and that she had not notified the DWP of this. Weir’s solicitor told the court that since her admission of guilt Weir’s family had been saving cash in order to pay the money back.

At Hamilton Sheriff Court last week, 48-year-old Weir was put on a community payback order with supervision for the next 12 months. She was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
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Businessman jailed for property and benefits frauds

February 18, 2017, 2:39 am
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An entrepreneur from Huddersfield has been jailed for four years after he was said to have perpetrated a “web of deceit” involving benefit fraud and property and bank offences.

Sentencing Malcolm Leslie Forsyth at Leeds Crown Court, Recorder Michael Wheeler said his offending had gone on for a long time, had involved others and displayed a “staggering amount of dishonesty”.

Christopher Rose, prosecuting, told the court the offences included opening bank accounts under false names as far back as 1985 and obtaining loans dishonestly.

In 2001 he also obtained a mortgage for £113,000 in a false name for a house in Lightridge Road, Fixby, persuading a licenced conveyancer, Stephen Cox, to register it improperly along with another address in Bradford.

The appearance that the properties were owned by others allowed him and other members of his family to improperly claim benefits such as housing, council tax or income support. Mr Rose said as a result of his arranging for them to claim they were tenants in the property they were able to obtain the benefits from Bradford or Kirklees councils between 2007 to 2014.

Forsyth also claimed benefit for himself without disclosing the income that resulted from renting properties. The total benefits defrauded were £78,373.

Jonathan Lennon, representing Forsyth, said he had initially qualified as an electrician but had branched out into building and property development and was very successful. He had then opened two nursing homes but was then hit by the financial crash of 2007/2008. He sold off the nursing homes and for a time had a coffee shop in Huddersfield which was sold in 2012. Throughout he was trying to support his family and had managed to service the mortgage taken out on Lightridge Road and loans so the banks had never lost out.

Rodney Ferm, for Cox, said he had allowed himself to be persuaded by Forsyth that the building society and land registry should be deceived over the mortgage and ownership on the grounds that Forsyth already owned properties and was not likely to get a further mortgage. “He had no idea this would ever be used as a vehicle for benefit claims.”

Forsyth, 61, of Lightridge Road, admitted nine charges of fraud and seven of obtaining property or services by deception.

Cox, 69, admitted two offences of deception and was sentenced to 20 months in prison suspended for 18 months. Recorder Wheeler told him he had let his family and profession down.

Source
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Croydon selected to pilot anti-fraud partnership

February 19, 2017, 11:00 pm
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Croydon has been selected to join forces with four other London boroughs in a major crackdown on criminals defrauding councils out of millions of pounds. (h/t Dave)

The council’s experience and success in this field has seen it teamed up with Camden, Ealing, Islington, and Southwark to pilot the London Counter Fraud Hub. This partnership will eventually extend to all boroughs in the capital to better target those responsible for unpaid council tax, illegal property letting and unpaid business rates.

The hub, which is run with data analytics provided by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), has the potential to save London taxpayers an estimated £60 million a year.

The most recent figures suggest councils are defrauded of £2.1 billion each year nationwide, including £133 million in council tax discount fraud. Last year, London councils detected fraud to the value of nearly £100 million, with housing frauds accounting for £74.5m of the total.


The initiative will help both prevent and uncover fraud within boroughs and across boundaries between boroughs, with perpetrators facing sanctions ranging from payment orders to lengthy prison sentences.

Councillor Simon Hall, cabinet member for finance and treasury, said: “I’m very pleased Croydon is at the vanguard of this new crackdown on fraudsters. It’s absolutely wrong that the majority of council tax payers should have to subsidise this sort of illegal behaviour. Croydon already has a great record in cracking down on fraud, however, by working together with other boroughs to share data we can do so much more.”

Edward Lord, OBE, Chair of London Councils’ Capital Ambition Board, said: “It is vital that we find innovative ways to ensure councils are not losing money as a result of fraud. The five boroughs piloting the hub will have access to the most sophisticated data analytics to identify potential criminals, and seeing the hub in action will allow us to build a clear picture of the situation, take swift action, and ensure money lost to fraud is recouped to be spent on public services in Camden, Ealing, Islington, Southwark and Croydon. Estimates suggest councils across the country are defrauded to the tune of £2.1bn every year. Once operating across all boroughs, the hub will help bring down this worrying total and will make uncovering and sanctioning those responsible easier.”
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Belated keys amnesty sees six homes returned

February 20, 2017, 11:00 pm
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Six family council homes in Brighton & Hove have been made available after a successful tenancy fraud amnesty. (h/t Tenancy Fraud)

Tenant frauds handed back the keys to six homes to two three-bedroom, two two-bedroom and two one-bedroom properties.

It brings the total of homes recovered from tenancy fraud in 2016/17 to 20 - saving the council up to £360,000.

The amnesty ran throughout December and January offering tenants illegally subletting their homes or keeping a social housing tenancy while living elsewhere the chance to hand their properties back to the council without fear of legal action.

It was run ahead of a new data-matching exercise launched this month which will be used to identify further illegal subletting and tenants not using their council property as their main home.

Tenant cheats uncovered through this new exercise are being warned they will face legal action.

Councillor Anne Meadows, housing and new homes committee, said: “There is a huge demand for housing in the city and it’s fantastic that the amnesty has freed up six homes that can now go to residents who need them. It has allowed us to get these homes back quickly without the additional costs of legal action. Tenancy fraud deprives residents in housing need at a huge cost to the city and we will continue to do all we can to tackle it.”

National figures suggest that tenancy fraud costs the public purse £18,000 a year for each property though with the high costs of housing people in temporary accommodation in the city, the savings for Brighton and Hove City Council are likely to be "significantly more".

Source

I am still amazed that it takes some councils so long to get round to offering a keys amnesty. I should know better by now, but I had expected they would all pounce on this as soon as the legislation was in place.

Better late than never, I suppose.
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Another belated keys amnesty - Swansea this time

February 21, 2017, 11:00 pm
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Tenants illegally sub-letting their council homes in Swansea will face no action - but only if they take part in a new 'key amnesty' initiative. (h/t Tenancy Fraud)

The Swansea Council scheme, which is being held throughout February and March, is aimed at cracking down on what authority leaders call "unacceptable" tenancy fraud.

From April onwards however, the council says it will push for maximum sentences in the courts, which could see offenders given up to two years in prison, issued fines of up to £50,000 as well as other costs.

The sub-letting of social housing is unlawful and involves tenants who rent out their home and live elsewhere.

Andrea Lewis, cabinet member for next generation services, said: "Tenancy fraud is unacceptable. It can mean that vulnerable families waiting for a property are waiting longer on the housing register than they need to be. People living in unlawfully sub-let properties also often pay large amounts in rent without any security.

"Although the problem here in Swansea is nowhere near as widespread as in other parts of the UK, we're determined to take action to cut down on waiting lists for council homes and help tackle the lack of affordable housing across the city.

"Key amnesties have been successful in other local authority areas, with many properties having been recovered as a direct result and those in genuine need being housed more quickly.

"We'd urge anyone who is committing tenancy fraud in Swansea to surrender their tenancies now because that will avoid the council taking legal action against them."

Source

"Key amnesties have been successful in other local authority areas". Indeed. What took Swansea so long?
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Woman sentenced for illegal sub-letting

February 24, 2017, 3:54 am
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Ingrid Schultz, 65, travelled abroad, dined out at restaurants and splashed out on shopping sprees after pocketing £10,000 over five years.

The ruse was uncovered by an anonymous telephone call to Genesis Housing Association from someone commenting on the turnover of subtenants at the property in Burton Road, Kilburn.

Genesis referred the case to Brent Council’s Audit and Investigation Team who started collecting evidence on Schultz.

They found she had been illegally subletting the property between March 2010 and November 2015 while living in a neighbouring borough and illegally renting out the loft.

At the expense of taxpayers, Schultz used the profits to finance holidays, meals out and shopping trips.

She pleaded guilty to subletting the property over five years at Harrow Crown Court on February 16 and was handed a 12-month prison term, suspended for two years.

Schultz was served with an unlawful profit order - which requires a landlord to be paid any profit gained from the subletting - in the sum of £10,823 to be paid at the rate of £350 per month.

She was also ordered to pay £1,000 costs along with a £100 surcharge.

Source

This went on under the Housing Association's nose for more than five years. They didn't even spot it themselves, it was only a tip off that brought it to their attention.

How much more illegal subletting have Genesis Housing Association not picked up on? Do they even try? Should this not be part of their job?
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Man registered 26 non-existent babies

February 25, 2017, 12:00 am
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A businessman travelled around Scotland to register the births of 26 non-existent babies as part of a benefit fraud scheme, a court has heard.

Rory McWhirter has admitted collecting identity details from people he had deceived into applying for fake jobs at a Glasgow hotel. He used the details to obtain their marriage certificates before using them to register the fake births.

McWhirter, 29, then used the birth certificates to claim benefits.

He claimed tax credits amounting to £14,222, child benefits of £19,658 and a Sure Start maternity grant of £500.

McWhirter, from Edinburgh, will be sentenced on 21 March.

Dundee Sheriff Court was told that McWhirter was caught after returning to the scene of one of his early false birth registrations at Aberdeen registry office where he was recognised by staff.

Around the same time, an "organised attack" on HMRC's computer systems - which showed that about 350 requests had been received for tax credit application forms from an address in Dundee and others in Campbeltown linked to McWhirter - triggered other alarms.

Depute fiscal Vicki Bell told the court that McWhirter presented letters to registrars at various offices throughout Scotland purporting to be from doctors confirming the births of children at home. During the meetings he acted as if he was the male named on the marriage certificate while registering the birth, the court was told.

Miss Bell said: "Four of the names used as claimants were traced and they advised they didn't make the claims. They had all, however, applied for the same job for front-of-house staff at a four-star hotel in Glasgow advertised on Gumtree on March 2015. The ad required a CV and a national insurance number.

"It was then discovered that 14 claims for tax credits had been made by persons residing in Perth Road, Dundee, and in Campbeltown at flats related to the accused's company."

After being traced, McWhirter said he considered the registration system in Scotland "archaic and easy to create false registrations."

McWhirter admitted a charge of fraud committed between 1 June 2014 and 22 October 2015 at addresses across Scotland. His solicitor John McLeod told the court his client was under no illusion that imprisonment was likely to be "at the top of the list".

Source
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Another unlawful profit order for illegal sub-letting

February 26, 2017, 11:00 pm
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A Council tenant has been ordered to pay almost £3,000 by way of an Unlawful Profit Order in addition to a further £2,914 in costs to the Council - after letting out his property on the website AirBnB. (h/t Tenancy Fraud)

Peter John Wootton, aged 46, of Coastguard Flats, West Looe, was due to appear at Bodmin Magistrates Court on Wednesday 22 February, but failed to attend. As a result, the Magistrates agreed to hear the case in his absence.

During the hearing, the court heard that the Council's Corporate Fraud Investigations Team began investigating Mr Wootton in July 2016 after receiving an anonymous tip off that he had been advertising his property on the website AirBnB. Under the terms of Mr Wootton's tenancy with Cornwall Housing Ltd he did not have permission to sub-let the property.

Further investigations identified 10 instances where payments were made to Mr Wootton, totalling £2,958.

The court heard that a number of attempts had been made to interview Mr Wootton under caution. He eventually attended for interview in November 2016 but decided that he did not want to stay or be shown the various items of documentary evidence. He later sent the Council a short handwritten statement stating that during the summer he had had people staying who he classed as lodgers.

After hearing the case, Magistrates found Mr Wootton guilty of an offence under Section 1 of the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act for sub-letting and parting with possession of his whole dwelling house, ceasing to occupy it as his only or principal home.

Kevin Hill, prosecuting for Cornwall Council, then presented the Court with a Section 4 Notice under the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act for an Unlawful Profit Order to the value of £2,958.

The Magistrates awarded full payment of the Unlawful Profit Order of £2,958.00 and, in addition, granted the Council's application for investigation and legal costs totalling £2,914.00. This amount covered the costs of investigating the matter and bringing it before the Court.

Following the conviction, Pete Jarman, Landlord Services Director for Cornwall Housing Ltd, said: "Cornwall Housing Ltd. takes tenancy fraud very seriously and works closely in partnership with Cornwall Council's Corporate Fraud team to identify, investigate and potentially prosecute cases of tenancy fraud. It is important that such a scarce resource as social housing goes to individuals and families who are in genuine housing need."

Simba Muzarurwi, Cornwall Council's Head of Internal Audit and Risk, said: "Our team of professional investigators continue to work with Cornwall Housing Ltd to combat fraud. The Council has a zero tolerance policy on all forms of fraud so the Corporate Counter Fraud Team will leave no stone unturned to ensure that those responsible for perpetrating fraud are brought to book. By continuous checking and investigation of anomalies in information supplied by tenants and potential tenants, we can help ensure that housing in Cornwall is allocated to those in most need."

Source

Despite the brave words, this is another case where the housing provider only found out about the illegal sub-letting through an anonymous tip-off.
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£80k benefits cheat caught speeding claims she is now broke

March 1, 2017, 1:25 am
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A benefits cheat recently spared jail after getting her hands on more than £80,000 she wasn’t entitled to has had a speeding fine cut after she claimed she is broke. (h/t Dave)

Ex-businesswoman Nicola Alcock (40), who is now said to be jobless and have no means, had been fined £220, with £85 costs and a £22 victim surcharge, in her absence last October, after clocking up 36mph in a 30mph zone last March. The mother-of-two, from Cliviger, who hasn’t yet paid the £80,000 back, has now had her fine reduced to £40 with a £20 victim surcharge and £85 costs by the town’s magistrates. She has to pay up at £5 a week.

Her solicitor Keith Rennison told the court Alcock was not in receipt of benefits and had no means. Mr Rennison added: “She’s more than happy to meet the financial obligation, it’s just a little bit beyond her means.”

Last month, she walked free from Burnley Crown Court, which had been told she had been claiming benefits as single mum even though she was married. Alcock, who had been receiving housing benefit and tax credits, was caught after she posted on her company website for Barking Mad dog sitting service, that she lived in Earby with husband, Gerard Thornton.

She lied when she was interviewed by the authorities and only owned up to being dishonest when she was shown her marriage certificate, a judge had heard. The defendant had earlier admitted dishonestly failing to promptly notify Pendle Council of a change in circumstances and being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent payment of tax credits. She was given eight months in custody, suspended for two years, with 150 hours unpaid work. Alcock will face a proceeds of crime hearing at a later date.

Source

Dave points out she claims that she was educated at the University of Central Lancashire in "Criminology and the criminal justice system, Criminology".
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Suspended sentence for illegal sub-letter

March 1, 2017, 11:00 pm
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A tenant who illegally sublet his social-rent flat for seven years in London’s East End with its chronic housing shortage has been given a suspended prison sentence. (h/t Tenancy Fraud)

Kibria Ahmed had rented out his flat in the five-storey Donne House in Dod Street in Poplar, near the A12 Blackwall Tunnel Approach, since 2010.

But the 30-year-old was finally exposed by the Poplar Harca Housing landlords which traced him living at his parents’ home off Burdett Road, half-a-mile away, where he was living before switching again to his brother’s home.

But all the time he sublet the tenancy he had been given at Donne House on Poplar’s Lansbury East Estate, Basildon Crown Court heard.

This was the Harca’s first criminal prosecution under a recent change in the law upgrading illegal subletting, previously treated as a civil matter, as housing fraud.

“He thought he was getting away with it—and did for too long,” Harca’s counter fraud manager Avril Drummond said. “He is paying the price of defrauding families on the Housing List all waiting for a home. This crime has real impact on many tenants waiting to move.”

Ahmed was prosecuted through Thurrock Council in Essex, which is Harca’s affiliated partner for legal actions.

He was sentenced to 12 months, suspended for two years, when he appeared in court last Wednesday, admitting two charges of housing fraud. He was also given 120 hours unpaid community work.

The housing organisation is now investigating 17 more cases where tenancy irregularities are suspected.

There are almost 20,000 families on the Tower Hamlets waiting list.

Source

Good to see a housing association actually taking the initiative in tacklking illegal sub-letting.

But where was the unlawful profit order?
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Judge: benefit thief was sorry that she'd been caught

March 4, 2017, 2:43 am
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A woman from Broadstairs has been jailed for 18 months after being found guilty of fraudulently claiming more than £150,000 in benefits from a London council.

Footage captured by The Royal Borough of Greenwich’s anti-fraud team captured Lisa White, who claimed to need an oxygen tank and walking stick, dancing and singing to a Mariah Carey song.

Mrs White, who ran the Bandstand Kiosk in Broadstairs, was also filmed lifting heavy loads from a cash and carry into a car.

During the fraud the 54-year-old and her husband Andrew White enjoyed five nights on the QE2 cruise liner; a 21-day Mediterranean cruise on the Queen Victoria; a £5,500 26-night Caribbean cruise on the Oceana and, after their arrest, a 28-night £9,000 New York and Caribbean cruise on the Queen Mary 2.

Mrs White had claimed disability, based on obesity, in 1995. But after a gastric band operation in 2005 her weight plunged from 27 stones to 13 stones. However, she kept claiming Disability Living Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Employment Support Allowance.

Mrs White had received Direct Payments of £315 per week, from the Royal Borough of Greenwich since February 2000 and in 2014, Mrs White claimed that her carer was Mr White, whose address was given as Broadstairs.

The Whites bought a mansion block flat in Broadstairs in 2007 and in 2009 Lisa was the highest bidder to take over the seafront Bandstand Kiosk. The pair also ran The White House cafe in Oscar Road, where Mrs White was filmed dancing and singing.

However Mrs White claimed to be living in a council property in Eltham with her mother but the team did not believe that a personal carer would travel from Broadstairs to Eltham every day.

Council administrators also spotted anomalies in bank statements provided by Mrs White relating to her claims.

The team’s concerns were raised with the council’s anti-fraud team, who began to conduct further inquiries.

Mrs White claimed to have a number of health issues in order to claim a range of benefits, saying that she required care and assistance on a daily basis; that she could not dress herself without assistance; was unable to lift kitchen items such as pots and pans; required the assistance of oxygen tanks to regulate her breathing and had to use a walking stick indoors and a wheelchair outdoors in order to assist her mobility.

Surveillance footage revealed Mr and Mrs White coming to the council’s Woolwich Centre to drop off papers relating to a rehousing application that she had made, where she appeared to have great difficulty walking. Two days later she was filmed in Broadstairs where she walked unaided with no use of a walking stick, which she claimed to need to walk, and no sign of the oxygen tank that she also claimed to need.

She was also filmed running her business at the Bandstand Kiosk, including serving customers with plates of food, lifting and carrying heavy supplies from a cash and carry, carrying purchases on a shopping trip to a large shopping centre, and dancing.

She was in receipt of employment and support allowance, incapacity benefit and higher rate disability living allowance. The higher rate disability living allowance also allowed her to have access to the Motability scheme and obtain a Motability vehicle. She also had a Blue Badge that entitled her to free parking.

Fraud investigators carried out detailed checks on Mrs White, and determined that she was in fact paying her carers payments to her husband – according to records it showed that she was living in council housing with her mother in Eltham in the Royal Borough, stating that it was her only home and did not own a property anywhere else, however records showed that her name was linked to two properties in Broadstairs as well as a café and the bandstand kiosk.

Mr and Mrs White appeared at Inner London Crown Court in December, when Mrs White pleaded guilty to 13 charges of fraud and Mr White pleaded guilty to two charges; one charge of aiding and abetting under the Fraud Act 2006 and one charge under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. The total amount of money fraudulently claimed was £151,933.26.

Mrs White has been sent to prison for 18 months and Mr White received a nine-month suspended sentence.

As he jailed her, Judge Tudor Owen commented on the video saying: “She’s dancing around. I can see why she’s happy. If I was getting money for nothing, I’d be happy.”

He told Mrs White: “I am told by you that you are remorseful and I have no doubt you are sorry you were caught. I’m not convinced your remorse is genuine. Even after you were arrested you then went on a cruise, you both took a 28 night cruise on the Queen Mary 2. You had a liking for the Caribbean. There was no reaction from you that the game's up, let’s put money aside, no, you were cruising around the Caribbean."

Councillor Maureen O’Mara, cabinet member for customer services at Royal Greenwich said: “Mrs White presented herself as a severely disabled woman, needing daily care with everyday tasks, and was making full use of all the benefits available to her. She was not genuinely in need. Indeed, she carried out a deliberate and sustained fraud, stealing a staggering amount of money – money meant for people who are genuinely in need. She fully deserves this sentence, and the criminal record that will now follow her.”
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Illegally sublet dwelling reclaimed

March 8, 2017, 4:25 am
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A clampdown on fraudsters has got off to a successful start after Aldwyck Housing Group successfully gained back a Watford property which was being illegally sublet.

Aldwyck was awarded a 42 day possession order against Jo-Ann Cooper, who was illegally subletting the whole of her Wilmington Court property. Working closely in conjunction with Watford and Three Rivers councils, Aldwyck was able to take the case to court and was awarded £11,650 in costs.

It is hoped that this successful case will send out a clear message to those who are committing tenancy fraud.

Tony Campbell, head of housing at Aldwyck, said: “Aldwyck, Watford and Three Rivers have sent out a clear message to any residents that tenancy fraud will in no way be tolerated. It’s great that we are able to work closely with our local authority partners to ensure the people who most need our property receive it.”

Councillor Mark Watkin, responsible for resources and customer service at Watford Borough Council, said: “This is yet another example of how the local authorities work with housing associations in order to combat fraud. The result of this investigation has led to a property being freed up for those that need it as there is a very high demand for social housing.”

Source
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Didcot woman in £13k benefit fraud

March 9, 2017, 2:12 am
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A woman from Didcot has been sentenced to carry out 100 hours of work after pleading guilty to gaining £13,000 through benefit fraud.

Kyleigh Fisher, 31, appeared at Oxford Magistrates' Court on Friday, March 3 and admitted two charges relating to claims for housing benefit and council tax reduction.

Magistrates heard that she had failed to notify South Oxfordshire District Council that her partner had begun work.

As a result, between March 2014 and June 2016 she wrongly received a total of £10,750 in housing benefit and £2,322 in council tax reductions.

As well as being ordered to carry out unpaid work Ms Fisher was also fined £200 and ordered to pay £185 in costs and victim surcharges.

Source

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Hefty fines and costs for blue badge frauds

March 13, 2017, 1:10 pm
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Two fraudsters pleaded guilty to abusing the use of blue badges for disabled people, paying a combined total of nearly £3,000 in fines and costs.

The pair, from Cheshunt and Waltham Cross, admitted to displaying blue badges not belonging to them at St Albans Magistrates' Court on Wednesday March 1.

Majinder Singh, 37, from Waltham Cross, parked in a disabled bay in Lynton Parade in Cheshunt on September 30 last year, displaying a blue badge belonging to his disabled wife, who was not there at the time. He was ordered to pay a fine of £500 and investigation costs of £500.

Adam Rozbicki, 38, from Cheshunt, displayed a blue badge belonging to his disabled father on the same day while he visited the Laura Trott Leisure Centre. He landed a fine of £800 and was ordered to pay investigation costs of £1,049.

Chris Hayward, cabinet member for resources, said: "The blue badge is for the sole use of the person named on it and must only be displayed if the badge holder is travelling in the vehicle as a driver, or passenger, or if someone is collecting them or dropping them off.

"Abuse of the blue badge scheme is unfair on genuine badge holders and offenders will be prosecuted if caught.

"Regular checks are made on blue badges and their usage to ensure that they are not stolen, forged or being misused."

Both investigations were conducted by the Shared Anti-Fraud Service, which works in partnership with Broxbourne Borough Council to investigate and prosecute allegations of fraud against council services.

The Shared Anti-Fraud Service has identified fraud valued at more than £1.1m since April last year.

Source
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