0:00:02 > 0:00:06Billions of pounds of our taxes should be going to the people
0:00:06 > 0:00:09that really need it. Trouble is, people keep stealing it.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13Welcome to the world of Saints and Scroungers.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39Saints and Scroungers is all about busting benefit thieves
0:00:39 > 0:00:43who steal millions every year, and a crack team of investigators
0:00:43 > 0:00:47determined to scupper their devious scams.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50And we also shine a light on those who genuinely need the money
0:00:50 > 0:00:54and the people who help them get it. They are our saints.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58The saints get help and the fraudsters get their comeuppance.
0:00:58 > 0:01:03Coming up today: It's double trouble as fraud investigators
0:01:03 > 0:01:06target a woman who is trying to hide her real identity.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10She just made the story up in order to put us off the trail.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12But will a tale of two birth certificates and some
0:01:12 > 0:01:16undercover surveillance prove this Jamaican citizen is
0:01:16 > 0:01:18messing the benefit system around?
0:01:18 > 0:01:21His was a legitimate claim and hers was not.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24One family struggle to keep their heads above water.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28We're proud people, we still want to work hard and earn our living
0:01:28 > 0:01:31so we can walk down the road and hold our heads up high, basically.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33But their lack of cash is having
0:01:33 > 0:01:36a serious impact on their son's schoolwork.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39What are we going to do? How are we going to get a computer,
0:01:39 > 0:01:44because everything at school, homework wise, is computer based?
0:01:44 > 0:01:47Can a saint help solve their web woes?
0:01:50 > 0:01:53One of the many things that makes this country so great
0:01:53 > 0:01:56is that we look after our most vulnerable citizens.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00But if you're not one of our citizens, and you shouldn't even
0:02:00 > 0:02:02be in the country, what on earth makes you think
0:02:02 > 0:02:05you can claim our benefits? Beats me.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09This is Clover Jameson.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11Originally from Jamaica, she's a single mum of one
0:02:11 > 0:02:14and lives in Edmonton, North London.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17It's fair to say she's had something of a chequered past
0:02:17 > 0:02:21and has served time in a UK prison for drug related offences.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25But, having been released in 2003, she's stated looking for work
0:02:25 > 0:02:29and claiming Jobseeker's Allowance from the Department for Work and Pensions,
0:02:29 > 0:02:33as well as housing and council tax benefit from her local council.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Enfield council's fraud investigation team
0:02:36 > 0:02:38is headed up by Leslie Marshall.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43Clover Jameson had made a claim for income support in February 2004,
0:02:43 > 0:02:48and when she made that claim she supplied some identification.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53The identification she actually supplied was the release letter from HMP Send,
0:02:53 > 0:02:58Where she'd served her prison sentence for drug related offences.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03The council took Clover's prison release letter at face value
0:03:03 > 0:03:07and set her up in a rented flat in Edmonton which was paid for with housing benefit.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Housing benefit is a means tested benefit designed to help
0:03:10 > 0:03:13people pay all or part of their rent.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15You may qualify for housing benefit
0:03:15 > 0:03:19if you're on a low income and have less than £16,000 in savings.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24The annual national housing benefit bill is over £20 billion
0:03:24 > 0:03:28and five and a half billion of that is spent in London alone.
0:03:30 > 0:03:36With a secure roof over her head, in July 2005 Clover gave birth to a baby boy.
0:03:36 > 0:03:42By 2007, she had decided it was time for the two of them to move house.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47Clover Jameson informed us she'd moved address from Felixstowe Road
0:03:47 > 0:03:51to Balham Road in Edmonton, North London, and that she wanted
0:03:51 > 0:03:55to continue to receive housing benefit and council tax benefit at this address.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59With a new address noted in the system, Clover continued to receive
0:03:59 > 0:04:04her benefit, which now also included child benefit and child tax credit.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08So Clover Jameson lives in Balham Road. She's a single parent
0:04:08 > 0:04:12and gets benefits from both Enfield council and the DWP.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14Nothing wrong with that.
0:04:14 > 0:04:19And Clover had one more bit of paperwork to attend to that year.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22She decided to apply for a UK driving licence
0:04:22 > 0:04:26and sent an application form to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29The DVLA.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33But this application turned out to be not quite so straightforward.
0:04:33 > 0:04:38Clover Jameson submitted an application for a driving licence,
0:04:38 > 0:04:42and with the application she supplied a UK passport.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46But the DVLA in doing their mandatory checks established
0:04:46 > 0:04:49that that UK passport was a false passport.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Alarm bells started to ring at the DWP.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57Until now, Clover Jameson's only form of ID had been
0:04:57 > 0:04:59her prison release letter.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03This Jamaican citizen had somehow acquired a British passport
0:05:03 > 0:05:08and this fake passport had been rumbled by the DWP.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11They got straight on the phone to Enfield Council who were also
0:05:11 > 0:05:13paying benefits to her.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17They suspected that Clover Jameson was using a false identity
0:05:17 > 0:05:22to claim those benefits, and a false UK passport.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26Having received the tip off, Enfield council's dedicated
0:05:26 > 0:05:30fraud investigation team started to look into the case.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33They are determined to crack down on all types of benefit fraud
0:05:33 > 0:05:37in their borough but they face an uphill struggle.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40More that £800,000 worth of housing benefit alone was
0:05:40 > 0:05:45identified as being fraudulently claimed in Enfield in 2010,
0:05:45 > 0:05:50and that number may be just the tip of the iceberg.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54The case was passed to the team's undercover fraud investigator.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57She needs to remain anonymous to ensure she can go after as many
0:05:57 > 0:06:01benefit scroungers as possible without being identified.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Her first step was to familiarise herself with Clover's file,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08and it soon become obvious that Clover had been keeping herself
0:06:08 > 0:06:11pretty busy to ensure her benefits would keep on coming.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Can you tell me, chronologically, what benefits Clover Jameson was claiming?
0:06:15 > 0:06:19In February 2004, she applied for income support to the DWP,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22and in turn she then made an application for housing
0:06:22 > 0:06:27and council tax benefit to Enfield Council in March 2004.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Give me an idea how much we're talking about?
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Well, housing benefit would have been about £190 per week,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35to cover the rent for the property she was renting.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40She then, as part of verification process, submitted another claim form,
0:06:40 > 0:06:44a postal review form to Enfield Council in February 2005,
0:06:44 > 0:06:48and stated that her circumstances hadn't changed.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51In 2007, Clover informed the council
0:06:51 > 0:06:54and DWP that she'd had a child and moved house.
0:06:54 > 0:06:59They continued to pay her child benefit, child tax credit and income support.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04By this time, Enfield council had been paying her housing benefit and council tax benefit for six years,
0:07:04 > 0:07:09but following the tip off from the DVLA, the authorities now suspected
0:07:09 > 0:07:14that Clover Jameson might be using a completely false identity.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19The referral from the DWP alleged that Clover Jameson was
0:07:19 > 0:07:22actually Laura Lee Jones,
0:07:22 > 0:07:27and by submitting false identity documents she was committing
0:07:27 > 0:07:30offences of making false statements on her claims to benefits.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34Investigators had to find out for certain who this woman really was
0:07:34 > 0:07:38and the best way to do that was to go and talk to her face to face.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Time for a visit to Clover's home in Edmonton.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45Someone else lives at the property today, but in 2010 Clover was
0:07:45 > 0:07:49claiming it was her home even though it didn't look inhabited.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53When we arrived here, we found that the letter box was full up
0:07:53 > 0:07:56with junk mail and letters addressed to other persons.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59We knocked on the door but there wasn't any answer.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03So after a few minutes we made some notes, left the property
0:08:03 > 0:08:04and returned to the office.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Investigators had their suspicions that no-on was actually
0:08:08 > 0:08:11living at the house on Balham Road, but they needed to establish
0:08:11 > 0:08:15for certain whether or not Clover Jameson was resident
0:08:15 > 0:08:18as she claimed on her housing benefit application.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21What did the DWP do?
0:08:21 > 0:08:24We agreed to carry out a joint surveillance operation,
0:08:24 > 0:08:30and that would mean that I would go to visit the property and establish residency with Clover Jameson.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34This time they wanted to be sure Clover Jameson would
0:08:34 > 0:08:38actually be home. Investigators clearly needed some bait
0:08:38 > 0:08:41if they were going to land their prize catch, so they wrote to
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Clover telling her she was required to be at home for a meeting
0:08:44 > 0:08:48with Council officers to discuss her benefit entitlement.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Every bit of evidence was crucial to this investigation,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53so teams from both Enfield Council
0:08:53 > 0:08:56and the DWP carried out a full surveillance operation.
0:08:59 > 0:09:04On the day, the DWP officers arrived at the property,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07and set up their surveillance from there.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11Myself and my colleague called at the property and were
0:09:11 > 0:09:16let into the building by somebody pertaining to be Ms Clover Jameson.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19It looked like Clover took the bait. When her benefits were at risk,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22she apparently thought it best to be at home.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Investigators asked Clover for ID,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28but she wasn't able to offer anything with her picture on it.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32We asked Ms Jameson if she had nay photographic identification,
0:09:32 > 0:09:34and she said she did not.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38She said they had been in the glove compartment of her car
0:09:38 > 0:09:41and unfortunately the car had been impounded by the police
0:09:41 > 0:09:44following an incident, and was subsequently destroyed
0:09:44 > 0:09:46because she could not afford the release fee.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50Therefore she did not have any photographic identification.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53My passport has been crushed along with my car?
0:09:53 > 0:09:54Talk about far-fetched!
0:09:54 > 0:09:58As far as excuses go, that one is way up there with the one I use to
0:09:58 > 0:10:01use at school about the dog eating my homework and no-one believed me.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07The investigators were also not taken in by Clover's imaginative excuse.
0:10:07 > 0:10:12I did not believe what she was telling me was the truth,
0:10:12 > 0:10:14I believe she had the documents
0:10:14 > 0:10:17and she just made the story up to put us off the trail.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21But now the investigators had the elusive Clover Jameson
0:10:21 > 0:10:24in their sights they were not going to lose track of her.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28I responded back to my DWP colleagues who then took up
0:10:28 > 0:10:32the surveillance operation and viewed the property,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35and watched her leaving the property
0:10:35 > 0:10:38and followed her on her journey throughout the day.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41So where was Clover Jameson going?
0:10:41 > 0:10:44The officers then watched her travel on a train towards
0:10:44 > 0:10:47Tottenham High Road, where they followed her,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50and continued to survey her for several hours whilst
0:10:50 > 0:10:56she visited betting shops, a pub and a cafe in Tottenham.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59They then observed her taking a taxi to Walthamstow.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03They followed and she arrived at the property,
0:11:03 > 0:11:07she entered the building with her own key.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Clover Jameson claims to be living in Edmonton
0:11:10 > 0:11:14but she seems to be equally at home at another property in Walthamstow.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Investigators now had to find out whose house this was
0:11:17 > 0:11:19and who was really living there.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30For now, it's farewell to the fraudsters and hello to
0:11:30 > 0:11:33the people we call our saints, those who are in genuine need of help but
0:11:33 > 0:11:38are too proud and do not know how to claim what it rightfully theirs.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42And the people who point them in the right direction.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Where money is tight, bringing up a large family can be
0:11:46 > 0:11:50a constant struggle for even the most patient of parents.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53You name it, kids need it, clothes, trainers, mobile phones,
0:11:53 > 0:11:57but when your children's schooling is suffering because of the lack
0:11:57 > 0:12:00of a computer, that's when you know you've got to do something about it.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04Rachel Driscoll is a stay-at-home mum to three children.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08She was forced to give up her job as a relief pub manager when she had
0:12:08 > 0:12:11her son, Joseph, 15 years ago as the hours were too long.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Now her partner, Chris, is the family's sole breadwinner
0:12:14 > 0:12:18and they are really struggling to keep their heads above water.
0:12:18 > 0:12:24I look after a big private estate and there's 80 houses on there.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26I basically do all the grounds maintenance
0:12:26 > 0:12:32and then some communal cleaning and any odd jobs that need doing.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34Every day is five o'clock in the morning until six o'clock,
0:12:34 > 0:12:38that's Saturday and Sunday as well as the week.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43And, as I say, call-outs, which could take an hour, two hours,
0:12:43 > 0:12:47and that's four or five times a week I normally get called out.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Rachel's had to do everything at home.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54She has to do all the dinners, get the kids from school.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58I never really see much of the kids apart from half an hour before bed,
0:12:58 > 0:13:00and that's if I'm lucky.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03As hard as he works, Chris still learns a very low income,
0:13:03 > 0:13:05it's topped up by the state with working tax credits
0:13:05 > 0:13:09and the family also receive child benefit,
0:13:09 > 0:13:11but they still find it hard to get by,
0:13:11 > 0:13:16especially as they need to run a car so Chris can take his tools to work.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18This flat is, what, local authority?
0:13:18 > 0:13:22- Yes.- OK, you live here, Chris is out working all the hours under the sun.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24- Yeah.- You've got your hands full.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27What's money like at the end of the month?
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Very hard, I mean, we do struggle.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33Rachel has managed to stay positive despite constantly fighting
0:13:33 > 0:13:37to stay financially afloat. But as the years went by,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40the demands on the family income got greater.
0:13:40 > 0:13:46And it wasn't just toys and trainers that Rachel's children wanted.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49What sort of things were your children saying,
0:13:49 > 0:13:53"Mum, we need this," and it was affecting their schooling, give me an idea.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57I'd say with their homework because Joseph often had to do
0:13:57 > 0:13:59different researches and things,
0:13:59 > 0:14:01that you could only really do on the internet.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05And certain websites, the school would say you need to go onto this
0:14:05 > 0:14:08site and look it up, and then you'll find the answer.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12So with things like that I'd say definitely Joseph did fall behind.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16Rachel was desperate for Joseph's schoolwork not to suffer
0:14:16 > 0:14:19just because they couldn't afford a computer.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Every day Joseph came in from school I dreaded it
0:14:21 > 0:14:26because I knew it would be more homework, more internet,
0:14:26 > 0:14:30and normally it had to be in either the next day or in two days' time.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33So we had no time to waste so we'd either have to walk down
0:14:33 > 0:14:36to our local library, which is about half an hour walk,
0:14:36 > 0:14:40with the girls in tow and quite often
0:14:40 > 0:14:44they didn't have a computer available
0:14:44 > 0:14:46because there is only a few there.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49So then we'd have to try and walk to a friend's house who
0:14:49 > 0:14:53I know is local to use her computer, but is she wasn't available
0:14:53 > 0:14:56then it would be about an hour's bus ride to my parents' house
0:14:56 > 0:14:59for poor Joseph just to get his homework done,
0:14:59 > 0:15:02to be on time and not get in trouble at school.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06Rachel's mum, Carol, had a computer and access to internet
0:15:06 > 0:15:09but it just wasn't practical to make the two hour round trip to
0:15:09 > 0:15:12her house every night.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Quite a long way from each other, If Rachel come on the bus,
0:15:15 > 0:15:18that would be even more stressful for her, having to bring three children on the bus.
0:15:18 > 0:15:23Joseph probably not wanting to be there anyway but having to be
0:15:23 > 0:15:26because he's got to do his homework.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30But in spite of all the travelling they were doing to ensure Joseph
0:15:30 > 0:15:35could get his homework done, it didn't stop him falling behind at school.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Do you think your schooling suffered?
0:15:37 > 0:15:41It did, yeah, cos I mean, I got homework set for a certain day,
0:15:41 > 0:15:45say the next day, and I didn't have...
0:15:45 > 0:15:48cos you get time set on the computers at the library,
0:15:48 > 0:15:52I wouldn't have enough time to finish my homework
0:15:52 > 0:15:56so I'd be missing out and my grades would be going down
0:15:56 > 0:16:01so I wouldn't be able to learn as much as everyone else.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Rachel went to talk to Joseph's school and they let her rent
0:16:03 > 0:16:06a small notebook computer for a few weeks.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09It was a temporary solution but Rachel got chatting
0:16:09 > 0:16:13to a neighbour one day who gave her some great advice.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16I went to the toddler group
0:16:16 > 0:16:19and the lady that ran it suggested that there's lots of different
0:16:19 > 0:16:24charities that can help people like yourselves in your situation
0:16:24 > 0:16:28to get some money just to help towards a computer.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32It sounded like the news Rachel had been waiting months for.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34I was quite excited by that
0:16:34 > 0:16:38because I'm the sort of positive person, I went straight home
0:16:38 > 0:16:42and decided, right, I'm going to have a look and see what I can find.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46Ironically, it was by coming home to use the notebook computer
0:16:46 > 0:16:49she'd managed to rent from Joseph's school that Rachel found out
0:16:49 > 0:16:53about an organisation that might be able to help her to buy her own one.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57I went home and I Googled, charities to help with money for a computer,
0:16:57 > 0:17:02so when I saw few different things come up one stood out to me.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07The Turn2us website offers a benefits check and grant search
0:17:07 > 0:17:10where you can find out if you might be entitled
0:17:10 > 0:17:13to some of the £19 billion worth of money that goes unclaimed
0:17:13 > 0:17:16by needy families every year,
0:17:16 > 0:17:20or you can call their helpline, which is just what Rachel did.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23The lady said to me, after taking a few details,
0:17:23 > 0:17:25is your children disabled,
0:17:25 > 0:17:29is there any things like that in your house and I said no.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Then she said, "I'm really sorry, but there isn't anything that
0:17:32 > 0:17:36"seems to be available but have you ever had a benefit check?"
0:17:36 > 0:17:40Although there are no special grants available to help Rachel
0:17:40 > 0:17:45with money to buy a computer, she was happy to take up the offer of a benefits check.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47Good morning, Turn2us, Emma speaking.
0:17:47 > 0:17:53We had to explain to the lady on the phone, Turn2us, that
0:17:53 > 0:17:56we lived in a council flat and we had to pay the rent,
0:17:56 > 0:18:01and how much it was and the council tax and how much that was,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04and what Chris' income was. There was a few other questions.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08When the lady decided that she had all the right answers,
0:18:08 > 0:18:13she typed it all in onto her computer and come back to us and said to us,
0:18:13 > 0:18:18"Did you know that you were actually entitled to housing benefit and council tax benefit?"
0:18:18 > 0:18:20And I said, "No, I didn't."
0:18:22 > 0:18:26Rachel was thrilled to hear that she was going to have a bit more money coming in.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28Although the benefit system can be tricky to navigate,
0:18:28 > 0:18:32charities know just how crucial it is that people are helped
0:18:32 > 0:18:34to find out exactly what they're entitled to claim.
0:18:34 > 0:18:39Council tax benefit and housing benefit will vary from council to council,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42but it's enough that it can increase someone's standard of living.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47For some families, it might mean the difference between two square meals and three square meals a day,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50so it's important that people claim everything they're entitled to.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55Although Turn2us couldn't help Rachel with money for a computer,
0:18:55 > 0:18:59by contacting them, she still ended up much better off each month
0:18:59 > 0:19:00and the family got their computer in the end,
0:19:00 > 0:19:05as Rachel's mum upgraded her laptop and gave the old one to Joseph.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10Now we're even luckier. We get help with our rent and council tax
0:19:10 > 0:19:13and we're bonus one computer from my parents.
0:19:15 > 0:19:20Now life for the Driscoll family has completely transformed.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22You've finally got your PC, you've got your money,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25so there's a lot less stress there. What about Joseph's schoolwork?
0:19:25 > 0:19:30That's improved loads, because he can come home and he takes his bag off,
0:19:30 > 0:19:34gets on his computer and gets on with his homework.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37So he's just as good as all the rest of the kids now.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Thanks to the extra money they have each month,
0:19:40 > 0:19:45the Driscoll family can also afford to pay for an internet connection.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47How's the computer situation at home?
0:19:47 > 0:19:49It's good, it's really helpful now.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52I mean, all my homework's getting done on time,
0:19:52 > 0:19:56I'm catching up with my work and all my grades have got a lot better now.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00Until she contacted Turn2us, Rachel had no idea
0:20:00 > 0:20:03she was entitled to benefits she wasn't claiming.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07We know there are many people in Rachel's situation, she is not untypical,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10so people are not aware of the benefits that they are entitled to claim.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13In fact, the Government's own statistics tell us that
0:20:13 > 0:20:16there are £6.4 billion in Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit
0:20:16 > 0:20:18that goes unclaimed every year.
0:20:18 > 0:20:23But Rachel is now claiming what's rightfully hers
0:20:23 > 0:20:26and it's making a big difference to her family's life.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30We don't owe any money to neighbours or friends or family
0:20:30 > 0:20:34because we have that £10 that we need for the gas or electric.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36We're happy, we get by now.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41- Give a message to Turn2us, what would it be?- Thank you.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Thank you ever so much for being kind, for being helpful
0:20:44 > 0:20:49and not looking down upon people like myself that ring up to ask for help
0:20:49 > 0:20:51and carry on the good work.
0:20:56 > 0:21:01Back now to the scroungers and a curious case of identity fraud.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05Clover Jameson from Edmonton in North London is under suspicion
0:21:05 > 0:21:08of falsely claiming housing and council tax benefit
0:21:08 > 0:21:11as well as child tax credit and child benefit.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15She's also in possession of a fake UK passport and that's not all.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20Investigators suspect that Clover Jameson might not be her real identity,
0:21:20 > 0:21:25but that this woman is really a Jamaican national by the name of Laura Lee Jones.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28Having carried out some initial surveillance,
0:21:28 > 0:21:33they have reason to believe she is not resident at a flat she's claiming Housing Benefit for.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35Her actions and her responses to questions
0:21:35 > 0:21:39on the day of the surveillance operation leads me to believe that
0:21:39 > 0:21:42she wasn't actually living at the property in Edmonton.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47One thing investigators do know for sure is that
0:21:47 > 0:21:50their prime suspect has a child.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55Tell me about what the DWP found out about Clover Jameson's son.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58They found that she had registered him in Enfield
0:21:58 > 0:22:01using her name, Clover Jameson, as mother.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04OK, and claiming benefits for him.
0:22:04 > 0:22:09Correct. On the basis of that birth certificate, she was able to claim child benefit and child tax credits.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13- And what else did you find out? - They also provided us with a copy of the birth certificate
0:22:13 > 0:22:18that the child's father had registered him in Waltham Forest Council
0:22:18 > 0:22:22citing the name of the mother as a Laura Lee Jones.
0:22:22 > 0:22:27In that case, he was able to claim child benefit and child tax credits for the child as well.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30- So they're both at it?- They were.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32His was a legitimate claim and hers was not.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34So the picture was coming together.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Clover Jameson claimed to be the single parent to her son
0:22:37 > 0:22:39and that they lived together in north London.
0:22:39 > 0:22:44But the same child also apparently had a completely different mother
0:22:44 > 0:22:48called Laura Lee Jones and a father who registered the birth
0:22:48 > 0:22:51for a second time in a different part of London
0:22:51 > 0:22:54and who was also claiming child benefit.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56It was pretty damning evidence.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00There was now enough information to justify carrying out a raid
0:23:00 > 0:23:04on the property in Walthamstow that surveillance officers had already
0:23:04 > 0:23:07seen Clover Jameson letting herself in to.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09When you were ready to pounce, what happened next?
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Once we'd gathered all the evidence that we needed,
0:23:12 > 0:23:15myself on behalf of the London Borough of Enfield,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18my colleagues from Waltham Forest Council
0:23:18 > 0:23:21and the Metropolitan Police UK Border Agency
0:23:21 > 0:23:23and the Department for Works and Pensions
0:23:23 > 0:23:26carried out a raid on the property in Walthamstow.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Wow. That's quite a line-up. The investigators already knew
0:23:29 > 0:23:32who the male resident at the property was
0:23:32 > 0:23:36but was Clover Jameson also in residence?
0:23:36 > 0:23:40We had surveyed Clover Jameson leaving the property in the morning
0:23:40 > 0:23:44and taking her son to a local school. She then returned to the flat,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47so we knew that she was actually in the property at the time.
0:23:49 > 0:23:50Clover was a sitting duck
0:23:50 > 0:23:53and investigators seized their opportunity.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56On entering the property, the woman who identified herself
0:23:56 > 0:24:00as Laura Lee Jones I recognised to be the same person that I had seen
0:24:00 > 0:24:05as the Balham Road address and who had identified herself as Clover Jameson.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Gotcha! One woman, two names.
0:24:08 > 0:24:14Clover Jameson and Laura Lee Jones were one and the same person.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18A search of the property also revealed documentary proof
0:24:18 > 0:24:22that Clover and Laura shared one identity.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24We found a number of documents.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28We found two provisional Jamaican driving licences,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31one in the name of Clover Jameson and one in the name of Laura Lee Jones.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34- Did they have the same picture? - They did.- Right.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37- Bang to rights at that point, really, aren't you?- Pretty much.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42Investigators now had enough evidence to arrest Laura Lee Jones.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44She was interviewed under caution.
0:24:44 > 0:24:49Although initially replying, "No comment," to all of my questions,
0:24:49 > 0:24:53she did eventually agree that she made false representations
0:24:53 > 0:24:57on her claims to benefit to the London Borough of Enfield,
0:24:57 > 0:25:01and that she had falsely claimed in the name of Clover Jameson.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Even though she had no right to reside in the UK,
0:25:04 > 0:25:09over a period of seven years, Laura Lee Jones had claimed benefits
0:25:09 > 0:25:13using the false identity of Clover Jameson and a fake British passport.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16She had claimed child benefit, child tax credit
0:25:16 > 0:25:20and income support as a single parent using the address in Edmonton,
0:25:20 > 0:25:25even though she was living with her partner and the father of her child in Walthamstow.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30In total, she claimed over £40,000 worth of housing benefits
0:25:30 > 0:25:35she wasn't entitled to and almost £3,500 worth of council tax benefits
0:25:35 > 0:25:37from Enfield Council.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40To be honest, I was very surprised at the audacity of this woman.
0:25:40 > 0:25:45She created a false identity for herself and she kept it up
0:25:45 > 0:25:48in order to claim benefits and take advantage of the system.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52She knew that what she was doing was wrong and she knew that she was not
0:25:52 > 0:25:55entitled to claim any benefits in this country at all.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00Laura Lee Jones appeared at Wood Green Crown Court in June 2011,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03where she was charged with eight counts of fraud,
0:26:03 > 0:26:07including making false representations, obtaining money transfers by deception
0:26:07 > 0:26:11and being knowingly involved in fraudulent activity.
0:26:11 > 0:26:12She pleaded guilty.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17In total, Laura Lee Jones defrauded the benefit system
0:26:17 > 0:26:20of £81,978.95
0:26:20 > 0:26:24and was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28At the end of her sentence, she will be deported back to Jamaica.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Laura Lee Jones clearly planned this offence.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35She came into the country illegally, she purchased a false UK passport
0:26:35 > 0:26:38and she used a false name. When she made a claim for benefit,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41she filled in the claim forms and provided false information.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44She signed declarations as the end of those claim forms to say
0:26:44 > 0:26:47the information was true and correct. Clearly it was not.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51Laura Lee Jones thought she had beaten the system
0:26:51 > 0:26:53and played us all for over 80 grand,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56but it doesn't matter how clever cheats think they are,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59sooner or later, they're going to get caught.
0:27:07 > 0:27:12Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd