A fraud ring consisting of 24 men and women have been arrested in London, accused of defrauding £400,000 in benefits by stealing the identities of others and using them to claim benefits. They are accused of fraudulently claiming Jobseekers Allowance and Employment Support Allowance for two years and the group, who all live or work in London and are aged between 19 and 24, managed to steal a total of £446,844.85 between them. They have been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.
Fraud can take many forms, and there are a variety of ways that people can defraud the benefits system. Simply lying on application forms, for example to claim disability benefits despite being fully fit, is a form of fraud. More complex fraud cases typically involve the theft of details, or the digital theft of money from various different accounts and agencies.
In the case of the 24 men and women that appeared in Westminster Magistrates Court, they have been accused of stealing or unlawfully using the identities of unsuspecting third parties. They used these details to claim benefits, including Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment Support Allowance, and are believed to have amassed a total of nearly £450,000 over a two year period using this technique. Two members of the group are also accused of having access to third party data that enabled them to pass identities on to others.
All of the gang are aged between 19 and 24, and they all either live or work in London. In their first appearance in Westminster Magistrate’s Court they were told that they would have to appear in a Crown Court where they could be tried by a judge and jury for their crimes. The group consists of 18 men and 6 women, and the case will be sent to Southwark Crown Court.
The CPS said that they have gathered enough information, following an extensive investigation by the DWP, to launch a prosecution against the gang, and that they consider it to be in the best interest of the public to do so.