0:00:02 > 0:00:06What makes this country really great, is we all give money to people who really need it.
0:00:06 > 0:00:11But the problem with that is wherever you have money, there are people trying to steal it.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15Welcome to the world of Saints and Scroungers.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41Saints and Scroungers puts the spotlight on the benefit thieves
0:00:41 > 0:00:45who ruthlessly steal millions of pounds every year from the British taxpayer
0:00:45 > 0:00:48and it highlights the plights of men and women who are too proud
0:00:48 > 0:00:52or simply don't know how to claim the benefits they deserve.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55The saints provide help and the scroungers get tracked down
0:00:55 > 0:00:59by the fraud investigators who put an end to their devious scams.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04And coming up on today's programme...
0:01:04 > 0:01:10How one scrounger stole thousands of pounds, but used another man's name to do it.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14They think he's the gentleman and you're the fake.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18And a husband and wife find help in a time of desperate need.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21There are people out there that can help anybody.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24It's just being able to find them.
0:01:27 > 0:01:34But first, this is the story of the havoc that's caused when somebody else steals your name.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40Passports, credit cards, driving licences, even bus passes.
0:01:40 > 0:01:46Everyday items that hold a key ingredient for criminals - your personal information.
0:01:46 > 0:01:51If criminals manage to get this, they can open up bank accounts, order goods on the internet,
0:01:51 > 0:01:56even start claiming benefits illegally, but in your name.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00This is Leonard Higgins. Or is it?
0:02:00 > 0:02:02This dad of two may look harmless,
0:02:02 > 0:02:07but it's suspected that for nearly ten years he led a double life.
0:02:09 > 0:02:16Living under the name of Higgins in Lewisham, southeast London, he went about his daily business.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20He also ran up traffic convictions, unpaid bills
0:02:20 > 0:02:24and claimed benefits worth a massive £60,000.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29But this scrounger hadn't only been scamming from us.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32He was using somebody else's identity
0:02:32 > 0:02:36and it caused untold grief for a completely innocent man.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43The story begins back in March 2009 when Leonard Higgins
0:02:43 > 0:02:46came to Lewisham benefits office to register as homeless.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50He had claimed benefits for years, then something happened
0:02:50 > 0:02:54that caught the attention of the fraud department at Lewisham Council.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Carol Owen was in charge of the case.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01The guy that we originally thought
0:03:01 > 0:03:06was Leonard Higgins had lived in the area for a quite a few years. He'd moved from various addresses.
0:03:06 > 0:03:11He'd actually been claiming benefits from us since 2002
0:03:11 > 0:03:14and had two kids living with him.
0:03:14 > 0:03:20All looked fine, no problem. He'd moved from address to address, mainly temporary accommodation,
0:03:20 > 0:03:26and it came to a stage in 2009 when he actually applied as homeless with two children.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30I'm assuming once you heard he was about to become homeless with two children,
0:03:30 > 0:03:34suddenly his case goes right to the top of a very important pile.
0:03:34 > 0:03:40He is classed as being priority needs, but at that stage he was still in accommodation.
0:03:40 > 0:03:45Leonard Higgins submitted his housing application through the normal channels,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48but then the fraud department received a tip-off
0:03:48 > 0:03:50that Leonard Higgins wasn't his real name.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Investigations.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59Was this man an impostor? All of his paperwork was in order.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03So if he was a phoney, they needed to gather some proof.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11And the fraud office began a full-scale investigation into Leonard Higgins.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16We have a specialist investigator who deals with that type of fraud.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20She would look at fraudulent homelessness applications
0:04:20 > 0:04:23to ensure that people's circumstances are as they say.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29The investigators began gathering ID on Leonard Higgins.
0:04:29 > 0:04:35There's stacks of it, from high street bank accounts to NHS cards - all 100% genuine.
0:04:35 > 0:04:40Anti-fraud manager Carol Owen shows me just how convincing his ID is.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44Now, banks are so fussy about money laundering
0:04:44 > 0:04:47they normally want loads of proof from people.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51But here we go. I mean, it's one of the major high street banks.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55There he is having money paid in, writing cheques etc, etc.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00He'd got the birth certificate, he'd got the passport, he'd got the medical card -
0:05:00 > 0:05:05- all the documents you'd need to open a bank account.- They're not doing anything wrong.- No.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09They're genuine documents. It's not as if they're forged documents.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11And they've got his picture on them.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14And investigators found that it's not just the paperwork
0:05:14 > 0:05:18that suggests this man IS Leonard Higgins.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Now, because of the sensitive nature of their job,
0:05:21 > 0:05:23both fraud investigators involved in the case
0:05:23 > 0:05:26have asked to remain anonymous.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28He'd worked in the name of Leonard Higgins.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31His children's school knew him as Leonard Higgins.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36So, he was, as far as he was concerned, Leonard Higgins.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40This Mr Higgins was certainly milking the system for all it's worth,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43as this benefits investigator discovered.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49Mr Higgins claimed Jobseeker's Allowance,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52housing benefit and council tax benefit.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56In housing benefit and council tax benefit, about £54,000.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00And in addition to that, he had Jobseeker's Allowance,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03which brought it to just under £60,000.
0:06:04 > 0:06:09The team had to investigate the case without alerting Mr Higgins that they were on to him.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14In his housing application, he'd provided lots of paperwork,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17and one particular document caught their eye.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22He'd provided a birth certificate for what he claimed to be his son.
0:06:22 > 0:06:27But on the birth certificate, the father's name was stated to be Peter Rhoden.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Was this the clue they were looking for?
0:06:32 > 0:06:37Either Leonard Higgins wasn't the real dad or Peter Rhoden was his real name.
0:06:41 > 0:06:47It was a lead, but it wasn't enough to prove that Leonard Higgins was using a fraudulent identity.
0:06:47 > 0:06:53They needed more evidence, and that's when a routine procedure opened up a new avenue of enquiry.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Every so often they run different data sets
0:06:57 > 0:07:01of different benefit records across the country,
0:07:01 > 0:07:07and it identifies any people that are claiming, or looks as if they're claiming, in two areas.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11So, everybody claiming benefits in the UK's information goes into a big pot,
0:07:11 > 0:07:15a computer sifts through it and goes, "Hang on. Someone's living in wherever
0:07:15 > 0:07:21- "with this name and someone's living somewhere else with the same name. Let's start looking into it."- Yeah.
0:07:21 > 0:07:26And in the midst of all this data, they struck gold.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28There was another person with the name of Leonard Higgins,
0:07:28 > 0:07:32with the same date of birth, actually, down in Portsmouth.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37The discovery of two "Leonard Higgins" with identical dates of birth
0:07:37 > 0:07:41was a major breakthrough, but it threw up another problem.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45Remember, at this stage all of Leonard Higgins' paperwork was in order,
0:07:45 > 0:07:50except for one reference to a Peter Rhoden on his son's berth certificate.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55We had Leonard Higgins that was in Portsmouth and Leonard Higgins in Lewisham.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00We knew one wasn't the real Leonard Higgins. It was a matter of figuring out which one was.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04At the time, we was not that sure whether or not it was the one person,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07whether or not there was a mistake with our systems.
0:08:07 > 0:08:13So therefore, we decided that a visit needed to be conducted to Portsmouth
0:08:13 > 0:08:18to actually find out whether or not the person in Portsmouth
0:08:18 > 0:08:21was the real Mr Leonard Higgins.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26So there were two Leonard Higgins claiming benefits in different towns,
0:08:26 > 0:08:31and both with seemingly genuine paperwork - someone was a fraud.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Question was, who?
0:08:36 > 0:08:40- I'm Dominic Littlewood.- No, you're not. I'm Dominic Littlewood.
0:08:40 > 0:08:45- No, you can't be, because I'm Dominic Littlewood.- Behave yourself! I'm Dominic Littlewood.
0:08:45 > 0:08:50- Confused?- Yeah.- Think about the poor investigator who had to try and work out
0:08:50 > 0:08:55if a fraud had been committed, and not only that, which one was the fraudster.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Coming up, we meet the real Leonard Higgins.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01It's not easy when someone else
0:09:01 > 0:09:03is pretending to be you.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Next, it's farewell to the scroungers and hello to the saints.
0:09:10 > 0:09:15The innocent men and women all over the UK in dire need of Government help.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19and the people who show them the way to claim what they deserve.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25When you spend your life working hard,
0:09:25 > 0:09:29it's only natural to make ambitious plans for your family's future.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32But the trouble is, you never know what is around the corner.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35And when life throws a spanner in the works and shatters your dreams,
0:09:35 > 0:09:41it can leave you facing the sort of hardships that you never could've imagined.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45David Robinson and his wife Susan were hit by a double blow
0:09:45 > 0:09:49when they were both diagnosed with a debilitating illness in 2005.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53David is on strong medication, which affects his speech.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59Well, we reached a stage
0:09:59 > 0:10:05where both of us were in a bad way physically.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10But ten years prior to this, it was a different story.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14- Hi, David.- Hi, Dom. Come on in.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18- Good to meet you, mate. How are you? You all right? - Yeah, nice to see you.
0:10:18 > 0:10:25It was 2000. Things started happening to Susan,
0:10:25 > 0:10:29and we didn't understand what it was.
0:10:29 > 0:10:34I'd find her on the floor - damaged her head.
0:10:34 > 0:10:40Take her to hospital, have her examined and everything. Didn't know what had happened.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Susan was diagnosed with late-onset epilepsy.
0:10:43 > 0:10:49It's a condition that's defined by seizures and blackouts, which are almost impossible to predict.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53It was to have a huge impact on family life.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56At the same time,
0:10:56 > 0:11:01I had set up my own business as a consultant
0:11:01 > 0:11:04and I was working away.
0:11:04 > 0:11:10David was increasingly torn between running his fledgling business and caring for Susan,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13but it wasn't the only thing he was struggling with.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17I started to develop pains.
0:11:17 > 0:11:23I spent a lifetime weightlifting. I knew what pains were.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28But these were pains that were slowing me down.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30It was things that I couldn't overcome.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Their 18-year mortgage was based on a dual income,
0:11:34 > 0:11:39and with Susan not able to work, the pressure to keep the cash coming in was all on David.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43When the painkillers stopped working, it was time to see a doctor.
0:11:46 > 0:11:52What was happening to my body was becoming almost unbearable.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56David was diagnosed with osteoarthritis,
0:11:56 > 0:12:00a very painful degenerative disease of the joints.
0:12:00 > 0:12:05And if that wasn't enough, they also found he had type 2 diabetes.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10This proud, fit man was destined to take a cocktail of medication for the rest of his life.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12It was a cruel blow.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16I took it personally.
0:12:19 > 0:12:25Now I've reached a stage where I can't provide for my family.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33In his business, David had been a public speaker and an advocate for young enterprise.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Both he and Susan had had a very busy social life.
0:12:36 > 0:12:41But burdened by debt and affected by the side-effects of their medication,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43they sank deeper into depression.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48I was at a really low ebb. Really low.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51I didn't know how we was going to cope,
0:12:51 > 0:12:55so I went onto the internet.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00And I just came across this carers' charity.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03And I actually got the phone number.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07I needed a person to speak to, that's how bad I felt, actually.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11So, I got the phone number and I rang them up.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15She hoped that phone call would be the answer to their problems.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19And when Janette Olley of Carers First was handed the details of the case,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22the first thing she did was give them a financial overhaul.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28We helped them to get the care component of DLA.
0:13:28 > 0:13:33We did that by contacting the benefit agency and getting the paperwork sent.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37Although they had been claiming disability allowance,
0:13:37 > 0:13:41like many people, they hadn't realised they were entitled to carer's allowance.
0:13:41 > 0:13:48After years of scraping by, the couple suddenly found themselves better off by £190 a week.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51How much difference did that make to your life?
0:13:52 > 0:13:54It made an awful lot.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59For one thing, we were eating better, quality food.
0:13:59 > 0:14:05And we were able to divide it out and help pay the bills that were...
0:14:07 > 0:14:09..building up in the background, you know?
0:14:09 > 0:14:14It helped us cope better knowing that we did have an income coming in.
0:14:15 > 0:14:21David is finally feeling the confidence to try and re-establish some of his old ways.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25So, David and Susan are on their way to the local church
0:14:25 > 0:14:29where David is giving the thought for the day.
0:14:29 > 0:14:34And it's the first time he'll have spoken in public since the onset of his illness.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40I've got to rediscover my self-confidence,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44which I've not had for many, many years.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48I'm hoping today I'm going to find it and get it back,
0:14:48 > 0:14:52but I'm still very nervous over it.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55- Hello, everybody. - ALL: Hi, David.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59You all know myself and my wife Susan.
0:14:59 > 0:15:04Help is something that we all try to give each other.
0:15:04 > 0:15:09But when somebody has forgotten how to ask for help,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12how do you help that person?
0:15:12 > 0:15:14That's the situation that we were in.
0:15:14 > 0:15:20Just coming to this church here and being with you people helped me an awful lot.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23David shows no signs that he's nervous,
0:15:23 > 0:15:28but Susan knows just how big a mountain he's climbed to get to this moment.
0:15:28 > 0:15:35Let it be your reminder that no-one ever makes it alone.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39I'm really, really proud. I really am.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43Because I know what a week it's been for him to do this.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47And now that he's done, David is on a high.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50I feel as if I've changed something today...
0:15:51 > 0:15:54..and I actually feel better.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Yeah. I'm glad I did that.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01You'd be hard pushed to find a more determined couple than David and Susan,
0:16:01 > 0:16:05because no matter what life has thrown at them, they've fought back.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Their experience shows how important it is not to suffer in silence,
0:16:08 > 0:16:12because asking for help is not the same as giving up.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Since they took the plunge, they have never looked back.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Over in Lewisham, the council's fraud team
0:16:20 > 0:16:23are on the verge of cracking a case of stolen identity.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26This man claims to be Leonard Higgins.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29What's more, he has a mountain of official documents to prove it.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33However, a tip-off from another department in Lewisham Council
0:16:33 > 0:16:36has suggested he's not all that he seems.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40What's needed is solid evidence that he's pulling a fast one.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44Millions of pounds a year are spent on investigating identity theft.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49It's a costly and damaging crime, so how can you guard against becoming a victim?
0:16:51 > 0:16:55Councils' fraud detection teams are always hot on the heels of those
0:16:55 > 0:17:00who are stealing people's identities, but prevention is better than detection.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04James Jones is a specialist in identity theft.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08and in protecting people against ID fraud.
0:17:09 > 0:17:16There were nearly 110,000 reported cases of identity fraud in 2009,
0:17:16 > 0:17:19and that's a figure that's been increasing for a number of years.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21It is often referred to as a silent crime,
0:17:21 > 0:17:26simply because it can take a long time for victims typically to find out -
0:17:26 > 0:17:31according to Experian, 416 days, which is obviously more than year.
0:17:31 > 0:17:36Typically, people only find out when the debt collectors knock on the door
0:17:36 > 0:17:41or maybe they apply for credit and are refused out of the blue.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46The most common type of ID fraud is current address fraud
0:17:46 > 0:17:50where the fraudster applies for credit at the victim's address,
0:17:50 > 0:17:55typically by intercepting or even redirecting the victim's post.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58And in today's world of rapid data exchange,
0:17:58 > 0:18:02these enterprising criminals have plenty of ways to get your details.
0:18:02 > 0:18:07The key pieces of information a fraudster needs - like your name, date of birth, address -
0:18:07 > 0:18:11you could find quite easily by looking at people's social networking pages
0:18:11 > 0:18:14or even rummaging through people's dustbins.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17They might use other methods like phishing,
0:18:17 > 0:18:22which is the sending of spam e-mails purporting to come, for instance, from your bank
0:18:22 > 0:18:26with a link to a website that looks like your bank and isn't your bank.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31That's another way a fraudster can use to get hold of your personal data
0:18:31 > 0:18:35to enable them to piece together your identity and commit that crime.
0:18:36 > 0:18:41So, just how can you keep yourself safe from the fraudsters?
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Be very careful who you give information to.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47If you're throwing documents away, make sure you shred them.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52Don't volunteer too much information on social networking pages and that sort of thing.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55At the same time, you need to be vigilant.
0:18:55 > 0:19:00You need to be on the lookout for the common signs of fraud, such as regular pieces of post not appearing,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03unfamiliar items on your credit report
0:19:03 > 0:19:07or items you don't recognise on your bank and credit card statements,
0:19:07 > 0:19:12because those are the common signs that someone is actually using your details.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15The sooner you spot them and intervene,
0:19:15 > 0:19:19the easier it will be to set the record straight.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23All important steps to take, because once you identity is stolen,
0:19:23 > 0:19:25it can take a lot of work to undo the damage.
0:19:27 > 0:19:33Lewisham's fraud department are hot on the heels of an ID forger who's using someone else's details.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37That means they're after two people who are using the same identity.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42Now, how do they prove who's who, and how does the real person prove who he really is?
0:19:43 > 0:19:47Through a routine procedure, investigators from benefit and housing fraud
0:19:47 > 0:19:53have found two Leonard Higgins, both with the same date of birth, living 80 miles apart.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57You can't have one person in two places,
0:19:57 > 0:20:01so we had Leonard Higgins that was in Portsmouth and Leonard Higgins in Lewisham.
0:20:01 > 0:20:07We knew one of them wasn't the real Leonard Higgins. We were trying to find out which one it was.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09There's only one way to get to the bottom of it.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13They need to meet the Leonard Higgins living in Portsmouth.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18Now, the investigators know that people dread seeing them, but they were in for a surprise.
0:20:21 > 0:20:22He was very co-operative.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26He provided us with a copy of his driving licence,
0:20:26 > 0:20:32which at the time he was not aware that we had already received
0:20:32 > 0:20:36a copy of the driving licence from Mr Higgins in London.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40And, you know, by looking at the two...
0:20:40 > 0:20:43They were two completely different people.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46So, it was a really useful visit.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50He was able to provide so much information about his life history,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53and answer questions that no-one else would know,
0:20:53 > 0:20:58that we were convinced that the one down in Portsmouth was the genuine Leonard Higgins,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01and the one that had been claiming in our area wasn't.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Not only were the investigators pleased,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07but the real Leonard Higgins was relieved to see them as well,
0:21:07 > 0:21:11because for years, he had been at the sharp end of fraud.
0:21:11 > 0:21:16I first realised something was wrong when I moved from Birmingham to Oxford.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18I went to claim benefits in Oxford.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20I went into the office only to be told
0:21:20 > 0:21:27that someone was already claiming benefits in my name on my behalf.
0:21:27 > 0:21:34I was absolutely stunned, because I'd been working before that and I hadn't claimed benefits,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37so I'm not sure how long it had been going on before I actually found out.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41He reported it to the fraud department.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45Not long after this, he no longer needed to claim benefit and heard no more about it.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49But strange things just kept happening.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53All my doctor's records kept going down to London,
0:21:53 > 0:21:55so my doctor didn't believe that I was me.
0:21:55 > 0:22:01Then I found out he was claiming CSI - CSA -
0:22:01 > 0:22:04for two children in my name.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08Then he went to court in my name and got a fine.
0:22:08 > 0:22:13Then the bailiffs turned up at my door wanting to collect my possessions,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16so then I had to get in touch with the courts in London.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19I had to appear in court to deny it was me
0:22:19 > 0:22:26and get that offence taken away from me, so then I could...
0:22:26 > 0:22:29It was just awful, awful, awful.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34So, it was vital they cracked the ID of the faker
0:22:34 > 0:22:37before he caused any more damage.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40And there was one name that kept cropping up - Peter Rhoden.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49So, the one in Lewisham, how hard was it to find out who he really was?
0:22:49 > 0:22:53As we made further enquiries,
0:22:53 > 0:22:58he also did actually have some bills in the name of Peter Rhoden.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01He hadn't used his new identity for everything.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05He also did have a criminal record in the name of Rhoden.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08They now had plenty of circumstantial evidence
0:23:08 > 0:23:11that Peter Rhoden was the real name of the fraudster,
0:23:11 > 0:23:15and they new for sure that the real Leonard Higgins lived in Portsmouth.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17It was time to go and get their man.
0:23:19 > 0:23:20A gentleman came to the door
0:23:20 > 0:23:26and my police colleague asked the gentleman if he was Leonard Higgins.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29His response was, "No, I'm Peter Rhoden."
0:23:31 > 0:23:34What we were thinking then was, "We've got our man."
0:23:34 > 0:23:40The reason being that the tenancy at this address was allocated to Leonard Higgins,
0:23:40 > 0:23:44so therefore going back and thinking about the evidence we already had,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46we knew we were on to a winner.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52Peter Rhoden was taken into Lewisham Police Station where he was interviewed under caution.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55All they now needed was a confession.
0:23:56 > 0:24:01Mr Rhoden, we came to your address this morning and you were arrested due to our visit.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05- Do you understand what you've been arrested for?- Yeah.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09- Can you explain to me what you're... - Deception and fraud.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12- OK. What name was the deception in? - It was Leonard Higgins.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16OK. How long have you been using that name?
0:24:19 > 0:24:22For quite some time.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Ten years.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32It was one of the easiest interviews under caution that I've been part of,
0:24:32 > 0:24:36because he admitted that he was Peter Rhoden
0:24:36 > 0:24:40and that he had entered the UK in 1983
0:24:40 > 0:24:43and he was an overstayer,
0:24:43 > 0:24:48and he'd been using the ID of Leonard Higgins.
0:24:48 > 0:24:53So, Rhoden is a Jamaican national who lied to stay in the UK.
0:24:54 > 0:24:59At the end of the interview, he said that he had been living the lie so long,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02he genuinely thought that he was Leonard Higgins.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06It was like a relief to him to finally get this off his chest.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Rhoden confessed that he had bought a copy
0:25:11 > 0:25:16of Leonard Higgins' birth certificate from another fraudster for £50.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20The real Mr Higgins doesn't know how that could have happened,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23but after his experience, he's certain of one thing.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26To anyone who doesn't think that this could happen to them,
0:25:26 > 0:25:32be very careful around all your ID - passports, driving licence.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35I would be very, very cautious around that kind of stuff.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40I mean, even when I'm throwing away bills, I'm careful to tear them up.
0:25:40 > 0:25:47and make sure, you know, there's no way people will get any of my ID again.
0:25:49 > 0:25:56On 21 May, 2010, Peter Rhoden pleaded guilty to benefit fraud offences.
0:25:56 > 0:26:02He had illegally claimed benefits of £59,765.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06Over £54,000 from Lewisham Borough,
0:26:06 > 0:26:10and nearly £5,000 from the Department for Work and Pensions.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15He was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19He was ordered to do 240 hours unpaid community work
0:26:19 > 0:26:24and issued with a four-month curfew between 7pm and 8am.
0:26:26 > 0:26:27But it doesn't end there.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32The UK Borders Agency will seek to remove Peter Rhoden from the country.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36For investigators, it's a job very well done.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40If we hadn't have stopped Peter Rhoden with the claim in the name of Leonard Higgins,
0:26:40 > 0:26:44I have no doubt he'd still be claiming benefit in that name.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Identity fraudsters probably think they're clever,
0:26:47 > 0:26:51and their little tricks might keep investigators off their scent for a while,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54but as the case of Peter Rhoden goes to show,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57sooner or later, they always get their man.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:27:04 > 0:27:08E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk