DWP catches woman who claimed £7k of benefit not entitled to

Laura Georgiana Nica, 30, who was claiming the benefit on the basis that she worked in a “low income” job, spent more than two years "reclaiming" rent payments for a property despite her having moved out, Carlisle’s Rickergate court heard.

The defendant, of Fusehill Street, Carlisle, admitted dishonestly failing to notify the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) about circumstances which would have affected her claim.

Prosecutor Diane Jackson described the offending. The dishonest claim began on May 2, 2022, and continued until August 1, 2024.

The defendant’s Universal Credit claim in part covered her housing costs – including her rent, said Mrs Jackson. The prosecutor described how Nica moved out of the property in Bowman Street in May 2022.

The defendant claimed rent repayments for property in Bowman Street that she had moved out of. (Image: Google)

Yet in repeated declarations, she told the DWP that she was still living there. “She failed to declare that she no longer lived at that address,” said Mrs Jackson.

When interviewed about her dishonesty in August last year, she admitted knowing she would not have been entitled to the rent payments had she declared her true situation. She claimed her monthly rent, which varied from £600 to £650.

It comes as the Department for Work and Pensions is stepping up efforts to uncover benefit fraud, including cases in Swindon, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.

Investigations can be triggered by tip-offs, information from other government departments and data-matching designed to identify discrepancies in claims.

Investigators can examine financial records and relevant publicly available social media activity, while suspected fraudsters may be called for a formal interview under caution.

Those found to have deliberately claimed money they were not entitled to can be ordered to repay overpayments, face financial penalties or prosecution, and potentially have benefits reduced or stopped.

By the time the deception came to light, Nica had illegally reclaimed £6,895 for rent that she had never paid.

Despite not having to pay that rent, she completed declarations claiming she was still at the Bowman Street property three times in 2022 after moving out and again in March and April last year.

DWP officials proved this was not the case after contacting the landlord. “She was living at a different address and had no housing costs,” said Mrs Jackson.

The prosecutor added that the defendant has now repaid the money she claimed illegally. A probation worker who interviewed Nica asked the district judge to defer sentencing so that the defendant can have the chance to secure a permanent work contract.

Accepting that the defendant, who is presently living with her sister, needs greater certainty in her employment, District Judge Philip Holden adjourned the case until February 2 next year.