Benefit cheat was working

A Rochdale man has been charged with fraudulently claiming benefits he wasn’t entitled to after failing to inform the authorities of a change in his circumstances.

Mr Khalil Ahmad, 44, of Greave Avenue, was given a community order by Rochdale Magistrates Court to carry out unpaid work for 160 hours and ordered to pay £500 in costs. He will also repay a total of £9,581.26, which he fraudulently claimed.

Ahmad pleaded guilty after he had failed to inform Rochdale Borough Council and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that he had actually been working for five months between 9 June 2008 and 9 November 2008.

Despite working for a construction company he continued to claim Income Support, Incapacity Benefit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.

The offences were uncovered by the council’s fraud team, who conducted a surveillance exercise in conjunction with officers from the DWP.

Ahmad also surrendered his Blue Badge as a result of the investigation.

Simon Bailey, Head of Revenues and Benefits at Rochdale Borough Council said the council takes a zero tolerance approach to any kind of benefit and council tax fraud.

He said: "If you are caught and convicted, not only will you have a criminal record to consider, you'll also have to repay what you wrongly claimed in addition to any fine or sentence imposed.

“Your benefits may be stopped or suspended.

“Changes in technology and increasingly sophisticated ways of investigating claims mean that fraud is becoming easier to detect and we will take action in every instance."