Benefit cheat used fake document

A man who provided a false document to support his partner’s claim for Housing Benefit has pleaded guilty to fraud charges and been ordered to carry out unpaid work. 

Mr Mubbashir Alam, 37, of Maldon Street, Rochdale, who has since separated from his partner, dishonestly provided Rochdale Borough Council with a letter purporting to be from a solicitors’ firm in an attempt to help her obtain Housing Benefit payments for a fictitious tenancy. 

An investigation by the council’s Benefit Fraud Team found that the letter was false and the property had never been sold - the solicitors named on the false document had never seen the letter before and had not been involved in any sale.

As a result of the investigation, the claim for Housing Benefit was rejected, saving the council almost £400 every month. At Bury and Rochdale Magistrates Court, Alam was sentenced to 120 hours of unpaid work and was ordered to repay full costs to the council.

Simon Bailey, Head of Revenues and Benefits at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “The council has a zero tolerance approach to benefit fraud and will always take action against those who we suspect are cheating the system.

“We have increasingly sophisticated and effective ways of tracking down fraudulent claims and owe it to all our council tax payers to pursue those who are abusing the system.

“This case should act as a warning that people can be convicted even if our investigations prevent them from actually receiving any fraudulent payments.”

If you know someone who you think is committing benefit fraud, you can report it in confidence on the Benefit Fraud Hotline on 0800 328 6340.