0:00:02 > 0:00:04Saints and Scroungers puts the spotlight on benefit thieves.
0:00:04 > 0:00:09Those who ruthlessly steal millions from the British taxpayer.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11But, we also search out the saints, the people who help put
0:00:11 > 0:00:16unclaimed cash into the hands of those that really deserve it.
0:00:38 > 0:00:44Saints and Scroungers is all about busting benefit thieves who steal millions every year
0:00:44 > 0:00:49and the crack team of investigators determined to scupper their devious scams.
0:00:49 > 0:00:54We also shine a light on those who genuinely need the money and the people who help them get it.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56They are our saints.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00The saints get help and the fraudsters get their comeuppance.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03And, coming up on today's show...
0:01:03 > 0:01:07She was given asylum and a council flat,
0:01:07 > 0:01:09but this woman fleeced Britain's benefit system
0:01:09 > 0:01:14and committed a jaw dropping fraud totalling almost £1 million.
0:01:14 > 0:01:20The team and I were absolutely staggered at the audacity of this lady
0:01:20 > 0:01:25and the amount of money that she had claimed from the various agencies.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28They returned to the UK with nothing.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32A single mum's search for a home for herself and her daughter.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37My mum and dad were happy that I had come home, back to live in England.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42Them not used to having a child running around, it was quite hard.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50Every year, around 25,000 people apply for asylum here in the UK.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55For those who are successful, the benefit system is there to help them start a new life.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00For those who cheat the system, the future is very different.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03Meet Mahira Rustam Al-Azawi.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07She fled her home country of Iraq and was granted asylum in UK
0:02:07 > 0:02:10and given the chance of a safe and stable future.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14But investigators suspect she used false identities
0:02:14 > 0:02:18to steal thousands from the benefit system, creating a property empire
0:02:18 > 0:02:22and putting her son through private school, all at our expense.
0:02:22 > 0:02:28Bromley Council is responsible for services across 59 square miles of south-east London.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31It's always thought to be an affluent borough.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33but there's pockets of real deprivation.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37Over 23,000 households are claiming either housing or council tax benefits,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40at a cost of over £120 million a year.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45Last year, the council's fraud team uncovered £1 million worth of bogus claims.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49Mark Gibson is one of their investigators.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52In 2007, he received a tip-off about a possible benefit cheat.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56One of the ladies who works in the education department
0:02:56 > 0:03:00in the students loans, became suspicious
0:03:00 > 0:03:06when Mahira Rustam telephoned in in search of a student loan.
0:03:08 > 0:03:14Rustam was looking for help for a place at Greenwich University to study civil engineering.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18She became quite irate on the phone when she was asked some questions.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20This alerted this officer
0:03:20 > 0:03:24that there might be something suspicious about the case
0:03:24 > 0:03:27and she contacted one of my investigators.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30The fraud team thought it was worth checking out.
0:03:30 > 0:03:36They ran a search on Mahira Rustam's address in Bromley and made a surprising discovery.
0:03:36 > 0:03:41We found there was someone claiming for housing benefit at that property
0:03:41 > 0:03:49but it was a slightly different person from the person who was claiming the student loan.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52Mahira Rustam Al-Azawi was claiming housing benefit.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56The person who was claiming a student loan was Mahira Rustam.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59So the names were slightly different
0:03:59 > 0:04:02but they were both apparently living at the same address.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06The alarm bells were ringing and investigators got to work.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09The benefit record showed that Mahira Rustam Al-Azawi
0:04:09 > 0:04:14was claiming housing benefit and council tax benefit from Bromley Council.
0:04:14 > 0:04:20The investigators contacted the DWP who confirmed they were paying her income support.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24They also said that because she suffered from rheumatoid arthritis,
0:04:24 > 0:04:28she was claiming disability living allowance and a carer's allowance.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30On the benefit claim form,
0:04:30 > 0:04:36Mahira Al-Azawi said that she was living with her carer, Sara Sami.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39This is noted on the file.
0:04:39 > 0:04:45So the team now knew that her carer, Sara Sami and Mahira Rustam Al-Azawi
0:04:45 > 0:04:47were apparently living at the same address.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51Both women were living on benefits with no declared income.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55But what about Mahira Rustam, the student applying for a loan?
0:04:55 > 0:04:59It was time to examine her application more closely.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04Luis Remedios is deputy chief internal auditor of Bromley Council.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08From the form submitted for a student application for a grant,
0:05:08 > 0:05:13Mahira Rustam had stated that she was working for a civil engineering company.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17So far from relying on the carer and living on benefits,
0:05:17 > 0:05:22this Mahira appeared to be a successful career woman and that's not all.
0:05:22 > 0:05:27The coincidences were mounting up. A search of companies house revealed that the civil engineering
0:05:27 > 0:05:32company's directors as Mahira Al-Azawi and Sara Sami.
0:05:33 > 0:05:40Hang on a minute, so Sara Sami, the carer, was actually a company director?
0:05:40 > 0:05:44It just didn't add up and investigators were now convinced
0:05:44 > 0:05:48that there was only one Mahira and her and Sami were up to something.
0:05:48 > 0:05:53We had to individuals who were claiming to be company directors,
0:05:53 > 0:05:58who are both claiming housing benefit with no declared income.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00It smelled decidedly fishy
0:06:00 > 0:06:05and fraud officers noticed something else that was unusual about these benefit claims.
0:06:05 > 0:06:11Mahira Al-Azawi had requested the payments be made into Sara Sami's bank account
0:06:11 > 0:06:14as she was disabled and couldn't get to the bank.
0:06:14 > 0:06:20They made checks and discovered the account was with the Woolwich building society.
0:06:20 > 0:06:25The address quoted on that bank account was an address in Glasgow.
0:06:25 > 0:06:31The same property had also connections with Al-Azawi's brother.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34The team uncovered another family link.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38On her claim form for income support, Al-Azawi had declared her son as a dependent
0:06:38 > 0:06:42and his birth certificate proved very interesting indeed.
0:06:42 > 0:06:48We obtained a birth certificate for Al-Azawi's son and the address shown on the certificate
0:06:48 > 0:06:53was the same address as the address registered for Sara Sami, shown on the Woolwich bank account.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57It was all pointing to one conclusion.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01It seemed more than a coincidence that Al-Azawi
0:07:01 > 0:07:05also had her son registered at that address
0:07:05 > 0:07:08and her brother was at that addresses.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12We suspected that Sami and Al-Azawi were the same person.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14We did not know for certain.
0:07:14 > 0:07:20If the investigators were right, this benefit fraud could be far bigger than they first thought.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Later, when investigators finally catch up with Al-Azawi,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26she doesn't make the situation any clearer.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39Will the council's evidence be strong enough to bring her to justice?
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Still to come...
0:07:44 > 0:07:47He was secretly filmed walking his dog, pushing a trolley,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50even mowing the lawn, but this benefit thief claimed
0:07:50 > 0:07:54he was so disabled he couldn't even dress himself.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Mr Rose told us he had chronic back pain and arthritis in both knees.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01He couldn't put his clothes on
0:08:01 > 0:08:03and he needed assistance going to the toilet.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07That how he told us it affected his day-to-day living.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15It's farewell to the fraudsters and hello to the people we call saints,
0:08:15 > 0:08:19those who are in genuine need of help, but are too proud,
0:08:19 > 0:08:23or don't know how to claim what is rightfully theirs.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25And, the people who point them in the right direction.
0:08:28 > 0:08:34Becoming a professional dancer, and travelling the world, would be a dream come true for some people
0:08:34 > 0:08:37but what would you do if that fairytale life suddenly ended
0:08:37 > 0:08:40and you had to return to the UK with absolutely nothing?
0:08:40 > 0:08:44Dee Bowley couldn't believe her luck when at just 19-years-old
0:08:44 > 0:08:48she was offered a dancing job in Portugal.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51I was excited because getting away from England,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53going to different countries to travel
0:08:53 > 0:08:57and it was like cabaret work with four or five other English girls.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02When she split up with her long-term Portuguese boyfriend,
0:09:02 > 0:09:06she had to return to the UK with her six-year-old daughter.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10It was not an easy decision for this young mother to make.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12After ten years of living in Portugal,
0:09:12 > 0:09:17it was quite difficult to decide what to do. Shall I go, shall I stay?
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Try and work on the relationship.
0:09:19 > 0:09:24In the end, Dee made the hard choice of returning to the UK
0:09:24 > 0:09:27and giving up the life she had known for a decade.
0:09:27 > 0:09:32With not much money in her pocket, moving back into her parents house was her only option.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Despite being grateful, this was a big change in Dee's life.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39I've lived my own from the age of 18.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41Actually moving back in with your parents
0:09:41 > 0:09:46and having your own ways and they having their ways, it was quite hard.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Dee was desperate to find a home of her own.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53But, with no job and no money, it was easier said than done.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57When I first came back, not having money coming in,
0:09:57 > 0:09:59it was a bit of a struggle.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02My parents helped me as much as they could
0:10:02 > 0:10:04but they couldn't financially help me all the time.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08This was not the life Dee had imagined for herself and her daughter.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13She was used to supporting herself independently as a professional dancer,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16a career she had set her sights on as a young girl.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20She first began dancing when she was just three-years-old.
0:10:22 > 0:10:27By five, already I was taking ballet exams, tap exams, doing shows,
0:10:27 > 0:10:33competitions and basically just carried on from a one day a week,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36to every day of the week.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38When I started to get older, ten,
0:10:38 > 0:10:42when I started to use the pointe shoes and wear the tutus,
0:10:42 > 0:10:46that's when I realised it was what I wanted to do as a career.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51I did my first ever main production when I was 11
0:10:51 > 0:10:54and that was in Birmingham, the opera, Aida.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59As a teenager, Dee attended a performing arts college
0:10:59 > 0:11:04and in her final year, she jumped at the chance to tour Portugal as a dancer.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07I thought Portugal will be a good place to start off with
0:11:07 > 0:11:10and then see if I could go further.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15Dee's family had mixed feelings about her going abroad at such a young age.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18We were very happy that she was following that dream.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22Also, very sad that she was leaving and, being female,
0:11:22 > 0:11:27we were worried about her being in a foreign country miles away from her mum and dad.
0:11:29 > 0:11:35One year later, 20-year-old Dee told them she had fallen in love with a Portuguese man.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38She decided that she wanted to make a life out there.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41She had met somebody who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46Dee's boyfriend had three children from a previous relationship
0:11:46 > 0:11:48and they decided they wanted a baby.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52We were together for probably nearly three years when we decided
0:11:52 > 0:11:55to plan to have a family, which happened more or less straight away.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Then, I had a beautiful little girl called Keyshia.
0:11:58 > 0:12:03Obviously, our first grandchild, there was a lot of excitement and happiness.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06We used to try and go over to see Dee and Keyshia
0:12:06 > 0:12:09as often as we possibly could, around about four times year,
0:12:09 > 0:12:14Christmas, her birthday, relevant points in time for Keyshia.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17It was very difficult to communicate with Keyshia at first
0:12:17 > 0:12:19because her first language was Portuguese.
0:12:19 > 0:12:24Only seen her for a number of times a year, for week at a time,
0:12:24 > 0:12:28meant that she had to get used to us again.
0:12:28 > 0:12:34That was difficult, as well, having to leave after we've just made contact again.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36But, they were both happy, we were happy for them.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40Dee now had a family of her own.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45She hung up her dancing shoes and started working in her boyfriend's family's cafe.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Dee was happy in her new job and her daughter
0:12:48 > 0:12:52settled in well at school, speaking both Portuguese and English.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57But while daughter, Keyshia, was enjoying life in Portugal,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00things were going badly wrong for her mum and dad.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03The relationship broke down and they decided to split up.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Hundreds of miles from her family and friends,
0:13:06 > 0:13:08Dee now faced the life changing decision,
0:13:08 > 0:13:12not just for herself, but for her six-year-old daughter, as well.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19It was very, very hard because also changing Keyshia's life around,
0:13:19 > 0:13:21taking her away from her friends.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23It was a big decision that she had to make,
0:13:23 > 0:13:28which she wanted her parents, her mum and dad to be part of.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Obviously, trying to do this over the telephone
0:13:31 > 0:13:34was very, very difficult and fraught with problems.
0:13:34 > 0:13:40There was tears and there was arguments as to which was the right way to go.
0:13:40 > 0:13:45Because I was working with the family business, it was a bit awkward because I lived with him as well.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47I had nowhere to stay.
0:13:48 > 0:13:55In May 2010, Dee and Keyshia arrived in England with nothing but their suitcases to make a new start.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Dee's first step towards building a new life for herself
0:13:58 > 0:14:01and her daughter was to try and get some money together.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07I went to the job centre and applied for income support.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11But having not lived in the country for ten years, Dee was told
0:14:11 > 0:14:15she would not be entitled to any benefit for 12 weeks.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19I did actually take a loan out with the job centre
0:14:19 > 0:14:25which was paid back automatically as soon as I got money coming in.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28It was a bit stressful not having money coming in weekly, monthly.
0:14:28 > 0:14:34Having always having a job since the age of 18, Dee was keen to get back
0:14:34 > 0:14:37to work as soon as possible, taking every opportunity she was offered.
0:14:37 > 0:14:42She signed up for a course through the job centre to brush up on her skills.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48It was just a 15-week course of English and maths,
0:14:48 > 0:14:54just to get my brain back into gear of the things we need when starting to look for a job.
0:14:54 > 0:15:00I made quite a few friends, doing the course, as well, it made me feel more confident
0:15:00 > 0:15:05and getting back into a normal, social life which I needed to do.
0:15:05 > 0:15:10Her new life was beginning to come together and to Dee's relief,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13England was starting to feel like home for her daughter, too.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Keyshia picked up the English language really quickly.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23After one month of being back in England, she went straight to school,
0:15:23 > 0:15:28which I thought would encourage her to speak more English and make her feel confident with the language.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Dee now faced her biggest challenge, finding a home of her own.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38Dee arranged a meeting with the housing officer from the council
0:15:38 > 0:15:42and she was relieved when they told her she was eligible for a flat.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45But, along with other people, entitled to homes,
0:15:45 > 0:15:50Dee was told she had to check what properties were available week by week on a website and bid for them.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56One of the organisations advertising was Nexus Housing Association.
0:15:56 > 0:16:01It has 2,800 flats and houses across Worcestershire for people
0:16:01 > 0:16:04on low incomes who can't afford to rent privately.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10Nexus were set up in the late 1970s as an independent,
0:16:10 > 0:16:12not-for-profit housing association.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15We receive grants from the government
0:16:15 > 0:16:19towards our new build properties, but in terms of our general
0:16:19 > 0:16:23day-to-day running costs, it's from the renting income that we receive.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26We try to keep the rents as affordable as possible.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30We advertise our properties through a choice based lettings system,
0:16:30 > 0:16:34along with other housing associations and councils in Worcestershire.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38People can bid each week as long as they are eligible.
0:16:38 > 0:16:43We work through who's bid for those properties and they are awarded in line with priority.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49As a single mother needing a flat, and wanting to get back out into the world of work,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Dee was considered a priority client.
0:16:52 > 0:16:57But, the road back to financial independence for Dee was going to be a rocky one
0:16:57 > 0:17:02Luckily, Nexus had a saint working in their wings who is going to give Dee and her daughter
0:17:02 > 0:17:05the helping hand they desperately needed.
0:17:06 > 0:17:11Helping customers like Dee is very rewarding.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13It just gives you that satisfaction
0:17:13 > 0:17:17seeing tenants being able to make a life for themselves.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24But first, we revisit the devious world of the scrounger
0:17:24 > 0:17:28and here's a message to all those benefit thieves out there. Smile, you're on camera.
0:17:33 > 0:17:38I enjoy a good, long walk in the countryside as much as the next man.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43Plenty of fresh air and exercise, especially with me four-legged friend by my side.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46I'm not sure I'd keep up with this bloke.
0:17:46 > 0:17:47He's what you call a serious walker.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50He's covered a lot of ground.
0:17:50 > 0:17:55It's a bit surprising, then, that David Rose claimed he had such serious disabilities
0:17:55 > 0:17:57that he needed round-the-clock care.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Mr Rose told us that he had chronic back pain
0:18:00 > 0:18:02and arthritis in both knees.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05The way that affected him, as he told us,
0:18:05 > 0:18:09was he had trouble getting dressed in the mornings.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11He couldn't put his clothes on.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15He needed assistance with his bodily functions, like going to the toilet.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20That's how he told as it affected his day-to-day living.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Because of the severe problems David described,
0:18:23 > 0:18:29he was awarded disability living allowance at the highest rate for mobility and a medium rate for care.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34Disability living allowance is to help the more vulnerable people in society
0:18:34 > 0:18:37to get the assistance they require.
0:18:37 > 0:18:42People may need help getting out to the shops, paying bills.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Perhaps giving them a car or a taxi.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49But then the national benefit fraud hotline received an anonymous call
0:18:49 > 0:18:52claiming Rose wasn't as disabled as he had said.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57That tip-off told us that Mr Rose was walking his dog,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00doing things that were not consistent with his claim
0:19:00 > 0:19:03for disability living allowance, where he told us
0:19:03 > 0:19:06that he was a severely disabled person.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10The fraud investigators decided it was time to get the camera out
0:19:10 > 0:19:13and gather some evidence on this suspected scrounger.
0:19:13 > 0:19:18Following the tip-off, it took about six months to gather all the evidence we needed.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22It was no good following Mr Rose on one day,
0:19:22 > 0:19:27we wanted to see him over a period to see if there was a pattern.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Did he have good days, bad days.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32As far as the surveillance was concerned, we only every saw him
0:19:32 > 0:19:37doing things which suggested he was perfectly well.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Mr Rose was telling us he had considerable difficulties
0:19:40 > 0:19:45getting around. He also claimed to need somebody with him
0:19:45 > 0:19:49to take care of his bodily functions throughout the day.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51We saw no evidence of that whatsoever.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54This cheat didn't stop at dog walking.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57He was filmed pushing his packed trolley around the supermarket,
0:19:57 > 0:20:02unloading heavy boxes from his car and even mowing the lawn.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06We asked our physio if she could see any sign
0:20:06 > 0:20:08of Rose's so-called chronic pain.
0:20:09 > 0:20:14I'm watching some footage of David Rose going for a walk with his dog.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16Erm...
0:20:16 > 0:20:19He's holding the stick in his hand and not using it.
0:20:19 > 0:20:25If someone needs 24 hour care, the other important point is
0:20:25 > 0:20:28if they need 24 hour care, they can't go out on their own
0:20:28 > 0:20:30and are generally housebound.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34He's looking very physically well and walking on uneven surface
0:20:34 > 0:20:35and up the hill.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42Quite a long distance. He's in front of the dog.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44He just holding his stick.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47It looks like a stick that is not a proper walking aid,
0:20:47 > 0:20:52it's more of a sporty stick that people would use for walking
0:20:52 > 0:20:55to give them a mild bit of support.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58You see a lot of hill walkers using them.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00He's covering quite a lot of distance,
0:21:00 > 0:21:04three or 400 yards in a minute.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08His mowing his own lawns, physically strenuous
0:21:08 > 0:21:10and he's doing it very easily.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12To be in the pain that he says he's in,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16to the point where he can do nothing for himself, it's absolute nonsense.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18He wouldn't be able to use that hover mower.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22With their damning surveillance footage in the back,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25the investigators then made another jaw dropping discovery.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29David Rose was a regular down at the gym.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Mr Rose had been a member of the gym for some years.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36He was actually using the treadmill for 20 minutes a day,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39which again was totally inconsistent with what he had told us
0:21:39 > 0:21:41when he first claimed his benefits.
0:21:41 > 0:21:46To find somebody who perhaps we may have seen on a good day
0:21:46 > 0:21:51walking his dog, we may have seen him on a good day cutting his grass,
0:21:51 > 0:21:55we may have seen him on a good day, unloading his car.
0:21:55 > 0:22:00Somebody who is a member of a gym and uses it on a daily basis,
0:22:00 > 0:22:01that was crucial.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03After a six-month investigation,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06the team now thought they had a benefit thief on their hands.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09It was time to confront him with their evidence.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14We sent Mr Rose an invitation to come in for an interview under caution, which he attended.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19Initially, we were talking about his claim and he actually told us
0:22:19 > 0:22:22his condition had got worse.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25When he was presented with the video evidence
0:22:25 > 0:22:30and was told about the surveillance, he then confirmed that
0:22:30 > 0:22:34his condition had improved and he eventually told us
0:22:34 > 0:22:37he was experiencing financial difficulties
0:22:37 > 0:22:40and that's why he committed the fraud.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Between 2007 and 2010,
0:22:43 > 0:22:50David Rose had stolen £10,158.75 from the British taxpayer.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53He appeared at Ipswich magistrates Court,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56where he was sentenced to a supervised 18-month community order
0:22:56 > 0:23:00and was ordered to pay back all the money he had pocketed.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04That's one scrounger who quite literally walked himself into trouble.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Coming up... As the evidence against Al-Azawi mounts up,
0:23:12 > 0:23:14the sheer scale of her fraud is revealed.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20One of the bank accounts, showed direct debits going through a private school.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22- For her son?- That's correct.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26My taxes and your taxes are paying for her son's private education?
0:23:26 > 0:23:28That's right, yes.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34But, first, it's back to our saints.
0:23:34 > 0:23:39Dee Bowley moved to Portugal in her teens to pursue her career as a dancer.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42She ended up staying and starting a family.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Sadly, after ten years she split up with her boyfriend
0:23:46 > 0:23:50and had to return to the UK with daughter, Keyshia.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54Her only option was to move back in with her parents.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58With no job and no money, making a fresh start was tough
0:23:58 > 0:24:03but Dee had always been an independent and hard-working person.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07She enrolled on a college course to help her find work.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11It was just a 15-week course of English and maths,
0:24:11 > 0:24:15just to get my brain back into gear of the things we need
0:24:15 > 0:24:17when we're starting to look for a job.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21Dee was desperate to get out from under her parents feet,
0:24:21 > 0:24:26get a job and get a place to live for herself and her daughter.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30I've lived on my own from, like, the age of 18, so moving back in
0:24:30 > 0:24:34with your parents and having your own ways and they having their ways,
0:24:34 > 0:24:36it was quite hard.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41Dee was receiving income support during this turbulent time
0:24:41 > 0:24:45and also being told by the council she was eligible for a flat.
0:24:45 > 0:24:50But, along with others, she would have two bid each week for properties on a website.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54One organisation advertising homes for rent was Nexus Housing Association.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00People can bid each week, as long as they are eligible.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03We work through who's bid for those properties
0:25:03 > 0:25:06and they're awarded in line with priority.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09As a single mother, who had lost her home,
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Dee was considered an urgent case.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16And, after four months, Nexus had some fantastic news for her.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20While on the college course I did actually get a phone call
0:25:20 > 0:25:25saying there was a flat available if wanted.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27I said, "yes" straightaway!
0:25:27 > 0:25:33I didn't mind about the area or anything because I just needed to get my own place.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38Dee and her daughter were delighted with their new home.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40We got the flat, which was really good.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43We were excited because we were getting our own place.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45Once she found out that she had somewhere to live,
0:25:45 > 0:25:49it didn't matter where it was, what it was, it was a roof over her head.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Her own space which she could go and then do what she wanted to do
0:25:52 > 0:25:55and wasn't being constantly watched by her mum and dad.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57Yes, she was very, very happy.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04With a weekly income support and housing and council tax benefit in place,
0:26:04 > 0:26:05Dee found she could get by.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09We were always there to try and help if we could
0:26:09 > 0:26:12but our resources were limited at the time
0:26:12 > 0:26:17and it was good to know that she was getting the backup with the benefits.
0:26:17 > 0:26:22As part of her course, Dee had been volunteering at a nursery
0:26:22 > 0:26:25and, when it ended, she got a lovely surprise.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30I got offered a job which was working as a kitchen assistant in a nursery,
0:26:30 > 0:26:32which I took straightaway.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35She was over the moon.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39In just a few months of being proactive and getting the right benefits,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Dee had sorted out her finances,
0:26:41 > 0:26:45settled her daughter into a school and found a new home.
0:26:45 > 0:26:46Her job was the icing on the cake.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Then she got some worrying news.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56When Keyshia turned seven, my income support stopped
0:26:56 > 0:27:01and also because I was offered the job, which was going to start more or less straight away,
0:27:01 > 0:27:06they didn't put me on jobseekers, which meant my housing benefits was also going to be stopped.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12With five weeks before her first pay packet and no benefits to rely on,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15Dee had no idea how she would pay her rent.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18All the effort she had put in for months,
0:27:18 > 0:27:21and it looked like her life was about to collapse once again.
0:27:22 > 0:27:27I started to panic. The possibility of losing my home
0:27:27 > 0:27:29after I'd just got it was very stressful.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33Being kicked out because of not being able to pay rent.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Luckily, help was at hand.
0:27:36 > 0:27:41Dee's landlords, Nexus, employ saints like Gerty Walker.
0:27:41 > 0:27:47She is a financial advice officer who help tenants like Dee who are facing serious money worries.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51Most of the customers that I have to deal with
0:27:51 > 0:27:54are vulnerable tenants with low-income,
0:27:54 > 0:27:58experiencing difficulties in maintaining their tenancies.
0:27:58 > 0:28:04Mostly, this is observed through their inability to maintain
0:28:04 > 0:28:06payments on the rent account.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09We try to help as many people as we possibly can.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13However, not everybody is entitled to the help that's out there.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17The cases Gerty takes on are many and varied.
0:28:17 > 0:28:2167-year-old tenant, Mrs Shuck, turned to Gerty for help
0:28:21 > 0:28:24when she was struggling to make ends meet.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Because of having the illness I've got, I needed a carer.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30I didn't know how to pay for it.
0:28:30 > 0:28:35I was paying out of my own pension, which was leaving me short of money.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39I paid all my household bills, rent, poll tax,
0:28:39 > 0:28:43everything and when it came to food, I'd got about £10 a week to live on.
0:28:43 > 0:28:48Suffering from a whole host of illnesses, including asthma, lung disease and emphysema,
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Mrs Shuck knew she couldn't cope without help.
0:28:56 > 0:29:01She came and went all through the forms took her four hours
0:29:01 > 0:29:04because she went through everything. Never missed a thing.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08She's the only lady who really took the time and the trouble
0:29:08 > 0:29:10to go through it properly.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14I can't get my breath, so therefore I can't do the housework.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18I have a job in walking when I go out, I have to keep stopping.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20I'm apt to fall down,
0:29:20 > 0:29:23so, therefore I have to have a carer to do these jobs for me.
0:29:23 > 0:29:29Mrs Shuck has made several attempts to get some disability benefits,
0:29:29 > 0:29:31but has failed due to, probably,
0:29:31 > 0:29:34not being able to complete the forms correctly.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37We went through Mrs Shuck's circumstances
0:29:37 > 0:29:40because it's not the illness itself
0:29:40 > 0:29:43that qualifies you to disability benefits
0:29:43 > 0:29:47but the impact that it has on your day-to-day activities.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51Mrs Shuck only had to wait a few weeks for a decision.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54When the letter came through to say to say they accepted me
0:29:54 > 0:29:57I was over the moon.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00And I rung and thanked Gerty very much for helping me.
0:30:00 > 0:30:04Mrs Shuck had been awarded the top rate of attendance allowance
0:30:04 > 0:30:08for people who are over 65 with health problems who need care.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10But that wasn't all.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14The fact that Mrs Shuck is entitled to attendance allowance
0:30:14 > 0:30:18means that now she is entitled to full housing benefits
0:30:18 > 0:30:23and full council tax, which in turn means that she hasn't got to worry
0:30:23 > 0:30:26about where the money will come for her to cover her rent.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30I've worked hard all my life.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32I've paid my taxes
0:30:32 > 0:30:34and it's just nice to know, now,
0:30:34 > 0:30:37that there is something out there to help me.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41It's just lifted a big load off my mind because I can manage now.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46Gerty was used to working wonders,
0:30:46 > 0:30:49but would she be able to solve Dee's financial crisis
0:30:49 > 0:30:52and lift the threat hanging over her new home?
0:30:55 > 0:30:58When I first met Dee, although she had secured herself a job,
0:30:58 > 0:31:01she was concerned that there was going to be a clear gap
0:31:01 > 0:31:03between when her income support stopped
0:31:03 > 0:31:05and when she was going to get her first pay.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07When a child turns seven,
0:31:07 > 0:31:10the government encourages parents claiming income support
0:31:10 > 0:31:13to start actively looking for employment.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16As a result of that, the income support stops
0:31:16 > 0:31:20and they have to start claiming jobseeker's allowance.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24Dee advised me that she'd received a letter from the job centre
0:31:24 > 0:31:27advising her she was not entitled to her jobseeker's allowance
0:31:27 > 0:31:30from when her income support stopped
0:31:30 > 0:31:32to when she was due to start employment.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35I didn't know anything, like what I was entitled to,
0:31:35 > 0:31:40what help I could get because of not living in the country for so long.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43So, thankfully, Gerty was there to help me,
0:31:43 > 0:31:48explain to me what help I could get and she actually helped me
0:31:48 > 0:31:52figure everything out and understand the paperwork.
0:31:52 > 0:31:57Gerty told Dee they should appeal against the decision.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00I had the right to be on that until I started my job,
0:32:00 > 0:32:03so that was the first thing she decided to do,
0:32:03 > 0:32:06was to get in touch with them and sort that out for me.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08And Gerty was right.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11Dee won her appeal for jobseeker's allowance to be paid
0:32:11 > 0:32:13until she started work.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17Not only that, but as she had now been claiming benefits
0:32:17 > 0:32:20for more than six months, she was entitled to extra help.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24Once we found out that Dee was entitled to jobseeker's allowance,
0:32:24 > 0:32:28that meant that she was entitled to transitional benefits
0:32:28 > 0:32:31such as transitional housing benefits,
0:32:31 > 0:32:36extended council tax benefits, which ensured that the transition
0:32:36 > 0:32:40from her being reliant on benefits to her starting employment
0:32:40 > 0:32:43ran as smoothly as it possibly could for her.
0:32:43 > 0:32:49Dee now knew her rent would be paid and her new home was secure.
0:32:49 > 0:32:51And Gerty had another surprise for her.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55She qualified for a one-off job grant, designed to help bridge
0:32:55 > 0:32:58the gap between starting a job and getting paid.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02The grant was £250 which helped out an awful lot with, like,
0:33:02 > 0:33:08shopping, paying bills, every-day life things that we need.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11Things went so well at the nursery that after eight months
0:33:11 > 0:33:14Dee was offered a full-time job.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17She's now proud to be paying her own rent and council tax
0:33:17 > 0:33:20and supporting her daughter herself.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23Helping customers like Dee is very rewarding.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26It just gives you that satisfaction, you know,
0:33:26 > 0:33:30seeing tenants being able to make a life for themselves.
0:33:30 > 0:33:35It just demonstrates that there is help out there that would enable you
0:33:35 > 0:33:39to move away from being reliant on benefits to being independent.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42Without Gerty's help, I don't know where I'd be.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45She helped me an awful lot to understand
0:33:45 > 0:33:47about benefits and everything.
0:33:47 > 0:33:52She really, really did help me. And thanks to her, I'm sorted out now.
0:33:52 > 0:33:58I've got more friends in England than Portugal,
0:33:58 > 0:34:01and Mummy likes her job.
0:34:01 > 0:34:06We have our own place and it's nice
0:34:06 > 0:34:10because I have my own room.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12I'm happy, Keysia's happy,
0:34:12 > 0:34:15life's going the way I want it to go at the moment.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18It can't have been easy for Dee, building a whole new life
0:34:18 > 0:34:21from scratch, but I think she should be proud of what she's achieved.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23And, thanks to Gerty's help,
0:34:23 > 0:34:26the future is looking rosy for her and her daughter.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33Now it's back to the world of the scroungers,
0:34:33 > 0:34:37and Bromley Council's fraud team were trailing a woman they believe
0:34:37 > 0:34:40was using different identities to cheat the benefits system.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44Iraqi refugee Mahira Rustam had applied for a grant to study
0:34:44 > 0:34:47at Greenwich University, claiming she was a civil engineer.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51But council records revealed a woman with a very similar name
0:34:51 > 0:34:54was living on benefits at the same address in Bromley
0:34:54 > 0:34:56with her carer, Sara Sami.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58So, basically, we had two identities.
0:34:58 > 0:35:03One was Mahira Rustam, who was a student
0:35:03 > 0:35:07studying at Greenwich University. There was also a businesswoman,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10a Mahira Rustam Al-Azawi claiming benefits
0:35:10 > 0:35:13being looked after by carers.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16Investigators believed that these two Mahiras
0:35:16 > 0:35:18were actually the same woman.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21What's more, when they ran a search on Rustam's employer,
0:35:21 > 0:35:23they made another interesting discovery.
0:35:23 > 0:35:28Both she and Sara Sami were listed as company directors.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32They were directors of a company when they claimed to have no income.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34We had our suspicions that Mahira and Sami
0:35:34 > 0:35:37were actually claiming benefits falsely.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39But when the investigators checks
0:35:39 > 0:35:42revealed that Sara Sami's bank account
0:35:42 > 0:35:44and the birth certificate of Al-Azawi's son
0:35:44 > 0:35:48were both registered to her brother's address in Glasgow,
0:35:48 > 0:35:50the case took a new turn.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54The evidence suggested to us, at this point in the investigation,
0:35:54 > 0:35:56that Al-Azawi and Sami
0:35:56 > 0:35:58were one and the same person.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02The fraud team had a massive job on their hands
0:36:02 > 0:36:06to gather the proof needed to bring this suspected cheat to justice.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08I've come to Bromley to find out more
0:36:08 > 0:36:11from investigator Louis Remedios.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14This part of our investigation, we looked through the bank accounts
0:36:14 > 0:36:17and one of the bank accounts showed direct debits
0:36:17 > 0:36:18going to a private school.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21- For her son?- That's correct.
0:36:21 > 0:36:22So my taxes and your taxes are paying
0:36:22 > 0:36:24for her son's private education?
0:36:24 > 0:36:27- That's right, yes.- Did you check that out at the school?
0:36:27 > 0:36:32We did and our investigation showed that the application
0:36:32 > 0:36:35for the school place was in the name of Sara Sami
0:36:35 > 0:36:38but the boy's name was put down as Al-Azawi
0:36:38 > 0:36:42which confirmed our suspicions that Al-Azawi and Sara Sami
0:36:42 > 0:36:43were the same person.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45Convinced that they were dealing with
0:36:45 > 0:36:49a sophisticated con woman using multiple identities,
0:36:49 > 0:36:53the council now began examining Mahina Al-Azawi's history in detail.
0:36:53 > 0:36:57They discovered that she arrived from Iraq as an asylum seeker.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00She was housed in this flat by Lambeth Council
0:37:00 > 0:37:03and began claiming benefits in 1992.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07Nothing odd about that, but then a search with the land registry
0:37:07 > 0:37:11revealed that Al-Azawi, apparently living on state hand-outs,
0:37:11 > 0:37:14had bought not one, but three properties.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17Louis, can you tell me about Al-Azawi's properties?
0:37:17 > 0:37:19Well, Al-Azawi had three properties
0:37:19 > 0:37:23from what we were able to establish in the investigation.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26The first property was bought under the name of Mahar Rustam,
0:37:26 > 0:37:30against which benefits was claimed in the name of Al-Azawi.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33So, Al-Azawi had used an alias to buy this house
0:37:33 > 0:37:37while claiming benefits at the address in her own name.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40The second property is in the London Borough of Lambeth
0:37:40 > 0:37:43which we believe was bought under right-to-buy.
0:37:43 > 0:37:49That was bought in her own name and the tenant there was Sara Sami.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52So this time, she bought the house in her own name
0:37:52 > 0:37:54but used the alias Sara Sami,
0:37:54 > 0:37:58the same one she claimed was her carer, to claim benefits.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00And the third property,
0:38:00 > 0:38:04the tenants there were in the name of Sara Sami and Al-Azawi.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07So have we got a situation here with Al-Azawi,
0:38:07 > 0:38:09who effectively is the landlord,
0:38:09 > 0:38:12but also claiming benefits using false identities,
0:38:12 > 0:38:15so you actually got a landlord-and-tenant situation,
0:38:15 > 0:38:17- but it's the same person. - That's correct.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20Among the properties she owned but had put in different names,
0:38:20 > 0:38:22what was their status? What was happening?
0:38:22 > 0:38:24Did she have tenants or were they empty,
0:38:24 > 0:38:26or was she doing it for capital growth, what?
0:38:26 > 0:38:29No, she had tenants in there. One of the properties,
0:38:29 > 0:38:32she had rented out to her own relatives,
0:38:32 > 0:38:35her mother and her brother was living in one of the properties.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38None of the tenants of any of these properties
0:38:38 > 0:38:44was guilty of wrongdoing, but Mahira Al-Azawi was coining it in.
0:38:44 > 0:38:45She took out three mortgages.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49One mortgage was in her own name, the right-to-buy property in Lambeth.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52The other two mortgages were under false names.
0:38:52 > 0:38:57The two mortgages concerned totalled in the region of £800,000.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00- This is a greedy lady, isn't it? - Certainly was.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02The mortgage fraud was investigated by the police,
0:39:02 > 0:39:04we concentrated on the benefit fraud.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08On the 29th of May, 2008,
0:39:08 > 0:39:12the investigators finally had all the evidence they needed.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15And Mahira Al-Azawi was arrested at her home.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20The house behind me was searched and we found evidence
0:39:20 > 0:39:24of a sophisticated fraud that had taken place.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28There was an Irish passport in the name of Sara Sami
0:39:28 > 0:39:31with the photo of Al-Azawi in it.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36It was the concrete proof of what they suspected.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39Al-Azawi's carer, Sara Sami, didn't exist.
0:39:39 > 0:39:43Sara Sami and Al-Azawi were the same person
0:39:43 > 0:39:46and therefore the carer's claim was false.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52Over three years, Mahira Al-Azawi had claimed £14,000
0:39:52 > 0:39:54to pay for a fictitious carer
0:39:54 > 0:39:57and had simply pocketed the money herself.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59Al-Azawi's neighbours thought that she was
0:39:59 > 0:40:01a successful business woman,
0:40:01 > 0:40:04and hence her wealth and living in a nice area like this.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07And ultimately, this lifestyle was being provided
0:40:07 > 0:40:09at the tax-payer's expense.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12Al-Azawi was interviewed under caution
0:40:12 > 0:40:15at Bromley police station that afternoon.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07She continued to give no comment answers
0:41:07 > 0:41:11to all the questions put to her, but investigators were confident
0:41:11 > 0:41:13they already had enough damning evidence
0:41:13 > 0:41:16against Mahira Al-Azawi to prosecute her.
0:41:18 > 0:41:23In June, 2010, she appeared in Croydon Crown Court.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26Al-Azawi was charged with 13 offences of fraud.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30She pleaded guilty to six charges relating to herself
0:41:30 > 0:41:34and not guilty to the other seven relating to Sara Sami.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41She was convicted of all 13 charges.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52Over a period of nine years, Al-Azawi had stolen...
0:42:03 > 0:42:06She was sentenced to three years in prison.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09No other members of her family were charged with any offences.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12The team and I were absolutely staggered
0:42:12 > 0:42:16at the audacity of this lady and the amount of money
0:42:16 > 0:42:19that she had claimed from the various agencies.
0:42:19 > 0:42:24In Bromley, this case was one of the largest we'd ever encountered.
0:42:24 > 0:42:29The instincts of the initial investigator were spot on
0:42:29 > 0:42:34and without her alertness this fraud may not have come to light.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36The welfare system is there to act as a safety net
0:42:36 > 0:42:38for those in genuine need.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42Just as in private sector insurance fraud, it's not a victimless crime.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44We all end up paying for this.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48Mahira Al-Azawi stole almost £200,000 from the British tax-payer
0:42:48 > 0:42:53and obtained £800,000 by fraudulently applying for mortgages
0:42:53 > 0:42:54using false names.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56But she's not got away with it.
0:42:56 > 0:43:00Fraud investigators tracked her down and sent her down,
0:43:00 > 0:43:04and she's got to pay back the money she stole from our pockets.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:43:19 > 0:43:22E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk