The benefit fraudster who blamed his evil twin

Officials reveal worst excuses

WHEN it comes to tall tales, benefits officials have heard them all. Now, in a campaign against fraud, they have published some of the most outrageous excuses given by cheats.

One fraudster said she needed the swindled money to pay for a TV in all of her children’s five bedrooms as they had attention deficit disorder.

The woman from West Lothian, Scotland, said: ‘I needed the money to pay for TV in each of the five bedrooms as the kids have ADHD, and I have to keep them in.’

But she failed to mention that the children no longer lived with her.

A claimant caught using a fake ID said her skin colour changed from

‘A drunken mistake’

black to white in a road accident that also changed her face shape.

A man with two Pakistani passports was investigated for identity and benefit fraud. Both passports listed the same children. The man, who lived in Glasgow, told officials: ‘You have me confused with my evil twin brother. He lives in Pakistan and visits the UK regularly. My brother has children born on the same dates with the same names.’

A disability living allowance claimant was asked why she was claiming benefit to pay for a cleaner while working full time as a cleaner.

‘By the time I come in from work, I’m that knackered,’ she replied.

The excuses, made this summer, have been publicised by the Department for Work and Pensions to encourage the public to shop fraudsters. High fraud areas will be hit with investigations, local advertising and letters to claimants. Other examples included a claimant in Liv- erpool who insisted she was not in a relationship with a man who stayed most nights in a week.

When it was pointed out that they had had three children in five years, she said: ‘We’re all entitled to a onenight stand aren’t we?’

When told it would be impossible to have three children of different ages from one liaison, she answered: ‘Well, a three-night stand then.’

A claimant from Folkestone in Kent failed to declare her partner.

‘He doesn’t live here, he just comes every morning to collect his sandwiches,’ she said.

And a man who was pretending to be single said: ‘It’s not my partner, it’s my sister.’ When the investigator held up their wedding certificate, he replied: ‘It was a drunken mistake.’

A night watchman in Folkestone who was claiming out-of-work benefit explained: ‘I only claim benefits during the day – what I do at night is my own business,’ he said.

David Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform, said: ‘Hard-working taxpayers lost an outrageous £1.2billion in benefit fraud last year.

‘The minority of claimants attempting to siphon off benefit cash need to know our teams are cracking down on them. Universal Credit will close the gaps in the welfare state that cynical benefit cheats try to take advantage of. The new benefit will reduce fraud by £200million.’

However, the programme has been delayed by technical glitches and the sudden death of a leading official.

Richard West, of the Department for Work and Pensions, said: ‘We are used to fraudsters telling tall tales to hide their crimes . . . Some keep on trying to lie as a way out – even to the point of ridiculousness. They usually just end up digging them themselves deeper into a hole.’