The benefit cheats who stole £4.5 million of your money

From the woman who said she couldn't leave the house but actually lived in Goa for much of the year, to the morris dancer claiming disability allowance: the Department of Work and Pensions has released details of six shocking benefits cheats who have been responsible for stealing a total of £4.5 million from British taxpayers.

By far the worst offender was Ruth Nabaguzzi, a 49-year-old from Forest Gate in London, who ran an organised gang of fraudsters, and stole an estimated £4 million over 20 years. She used four different identities to claim four sets of benefits, and topped this up by taking part in human trafficking and using children's identities to add to her claims. She was found guilty at the end of 2012.

Ian Burns, a 72-year-old from Aylesbury, was also running a scam that used a number of identities to claim benefits. In addition to his own state pension, pension credit and housing benefit, he claimed pensions and benefits for three other people. Over 11 years he stole £226,000 and was found guilty in December last year.

Karen Trant, a 51-year-old from Dartmouth in Devon (pictured), meanwhile claimed she was an agoraphobic who could not leave the house alone or travel to unfamiliar places. She received more than £134,000 in a variety of benefits as a result. However, while she was claiming, she was also living in Goa for large parts of the year - undergoing a variety of cosmetic procedures. She was jailed for 27 months last month.

Amanda Casserley and Andrew Hayes of Bournemouth were found guilty in May for making benefits claims while not admitting they were in a relationship. She claimed £106,000 over a ten year period, and told the DWP that Hayes lived with his mother - despite the fact that his wages were paid into her account. Hayes, meanwhile, claimed £15,000 in incapacity benefit while working for five different employers.

And finally there was Allan Baldwin, a 67-year-old from Lockerbie, who claimed over £28,000 in Disability Living Allowance over five years. He said he couldn't walk more than five metres and needed help carrying his shopping. However, his lies were uncovered when he was filmed morris dancing. He said he was primarily a musician for his local troupe, but it then emerged that they often walked miles between performances.

New approach
In naming and shaming these cheats, the DWP said it was bringing in a new way to investigate - which would see the DWP, HMRC and local authorities come together in one team to investigate individuals.

Work & Pensions Minister Mark Harper said: "We know that it's a small minority of people who try to commit fraud, but these criminals need to know, with the hardworking British taxpayer on our side, we are on their trail. Our fraud teams have the powers and technology to catch fraudsters, but we are determined to make it even tougher with a new joint approach bringing together investigators from different Government departments and local authorities."

James Blake from the DWP Fraud and Error Service, added: "These cases really show the methods that benefit fraudsters try to use to play the system. With many tools at our disposal, including covert surveillance we can gain solid evidence to prosecute."

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