A MAN has told how scammers stole his identity to falsely claim Universal Credit in his name.
Aaron Bargota suddenly noticed a hefty £500 chunk was taken out of his hard-earned pay cheque.
Aaron Bargota of Tamworth, Staffordshire, noticed money being taken from his wages[/caption]
He claimed the DWP and Universal Credit have been no help[/caption]
When Aaron queried it with his bosses, the 31-year-old was told about a DWP letter which said he owed the government money to reimburse wrongly-claimed Universal Credit payments.
Aaron – from Tamworth, Staffordshire – has never claimed Universal Credit, and is sure his identity was stolen by scammers.
What should you do if you’re a victim of benefit fraud?
According to ActionFraud
- Contact Action fraud for support and guidance.
- Notify your local council and benefits office.
- Report someone you think is committing benefit fraud
- Call the National Benefit Fraud Hotline (NFBH) on 0800 854 440. Lines are open between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.
- The Welsh National Benefit Fraud Hotline on 0800 678 3722 is open from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (an out-of-hours messaging service operates from 7am to 8am and 6pm to 11pm weekdays and from 7am to 11pm at weekends).
- If you would prefer to make your report in writing, you can send information to: National Benefit Fraud Hotline, Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 2BP
- All reports of benefit fraud are treated in the strictest confidence.
He fears they somehow got a hold of his national insurance number, date of birth and other personal details to carry out the vile scam.
Aaron told The Sun: “The fraudsters have opened a Universal Credit account in my name. I’m not sure how they got them.
“They’ve started claiming benefits, pretending to be me, they’ve racked up over a grand in debt.
“They were claiming and now the government want it back which has left me short-handed.
“I’ve tried to tell them it’s not me, but they don’t believe me.
“One of them was trying to claim for child benefits, I don’t have kids.”
Not getting anywhere with the DWP, Aaron asked his local MP Sarah Edwards for help.
But the MP was told Aaron WAS liable to pay back the debt.
Aaron insists he never received the letter informing him of their decision – as the “scammers” registered his address as in London, miles away from his West Midlands home.
A DWP spokesperson has confirmed another into his claim is now taking place.
“No one has ever contacted me to prove anything, because the fraudsters are intercepting everything,” the aerospace engineering operator explained.
“I’m not getting any letters through because their address is in London, I’m in the West Midlands.
“This meant I missed the deadline to appeal. I can’t even shut the account down because I didn’t create it.
“It’s ruining my life. I don’t even want to leave the house.”
A DWP spokesperson said: “Mr Bargota has requested a Mandatory Reconsideration of our decision, and an independent review is now taking place.”
Aaron went on to slam “broken system” and said that the government continues to “help the scammers”.
He continued: “Every time I call up, the system is broke, the government should be there to help. I’ve been calling UC everyday, I’ve been to the job centre and they say they can’t help, because I didn’t create the account, I can’t access it.
“I’ve told them that it’s my information, which they accept, but they won’t do anything about it.”
He vowed to “go to court” if he has to.
Aaron feels helpless and out of options[/caption]
He has vowed to go to court if he has to and criticised DWP[/caption]
One of the biggest benefit fraud scams in the UK saw five scammers swindle the government of over £53million in Universal Credit claims.
Galina Nikolova was one of the masterminds behind the scheme.
She was found to be responsible for £25million in losses to the taxpayer and received the longest sentence for her involvement.
Nikolova operated from an unassuming shop called Antonia Food in north London, which served as a front for their fraudulent activities.
She worked with Stoyan Stoyanov, Gyunesh Ali, Tsvetka Todorova, and Patritsia Paneva.
The gang’s operation was sophisticated and extensive, taking a total of £53,901,959.82 in Universal Credit payments over a period of nearly five years.
The Bulgarian fraudsters operated on an “industrial scale” out the back of three corner shops in Wood Green, North London.
Have you been affected by this issue? Email summer.raemason@the-sun.co.uk
They used real people and stolen identities to make the fraudulent claims, which were backed up with falsified documents.
If their claims were denied, the brazen gang just persistently re-applied until they were approved.
They set up three “benefit factories” across London, where they created fake documents to support fraudulent Universal Credit claims.
The sophisticated scheme involved the group using a library of fake identities used to make fraudulent claims.
Each claim was allocated a different mobile number and came attached with a litany of fake documents, including tenancy agreements, counterfeit payslips.
Forged letters from GPs, landlords, and employees were also used to bolster the claims.
Some of the claims were also made using details from real people, who would pay the gang to use their identities to make the claims on their behalf.
The gang used Photoshop to create fake images when the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) requested proof of residence.
The Universal Credit was paid into hundreds of different bank accounts and then withdrawn by the criminals at the bank.
They then laundered the money between various accounts via multiple transfers and cash withdrawals.
The gang even went as far as transporting thousands of Bulgarians to London to make fraudulent claims.
They would often allow the initial benefit payment to go to the claimant, but then collect the recurring monthly payments for themselves.