0:00:02 > 0:00:04It's an age-old principle in this country
0:00:04 > 0:00:08that when we have people in genuine need, we help them out.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11It's vital support that improves lives.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15At one point, I just thought, "This is it. I can't do this no more."
0:00:15 > 0:00:18However, whenever there's cash on offer,
0:00:18 > 0:00:22you'll also find people who want to steal it.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26Those trying to pinch from the public purse are being pursued.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Clearly, she was able to make significant profit.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Welcome to the world of Saints And Scroungers.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Saints And Scroungers shows the very best and the very worst
0:00:57 > 0:00:59of the benefits system,
0:00:59 > 0:01:03including those that set out deliberately to steal from public coffers.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07It shows those who need help and those who help themselves.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11Every day across the UK, investigators fight to bring fraudsters to justice
0:01:11 > 0:01:14and saints fight to make sure people in need
0:01:14 > 0:01:16get what they're entitled to.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Coming up on today's show -
0:01:18 > 0:01:22a claimant at the heart of a complex web of lies.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26She was very evasive and had a cock-and-bull story
0:01:26 > 0:01:29about this all being done by other people.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33And the cunning canine who came to the rescue.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36It just means I'm a little bit less disabled than I was before.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45Money makes the world go round, that's what the song says.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50If you haven't got any money, it certainly comes to a juddering halt.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53The government is there to help you if you get into a cash crisis.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Then there are some people
0:01:55 > 0:01:58who seem perfectly happy to help themselves.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00This is Fabiola Dantas.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04On the face of it, an ordinary working single mother employed as a cleaner
0:02:04 > 0:02:07who turned to Brent Council for help paying her rent
0:02:07 > 0:02:09in the form of housing benefits.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11She stated that she had children
0:02:11 > 0:02:14and wasn't working more than 16 hours a week,
0:02:14 > 0:02:17which also entitled Dantas to claim for useful tax credits
0:02:17 > 0:02:18on top of housing benefits.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Investigators didn't know it at the time,
0:02:21 > 0:02:23but she was about to be at the centre
0:02:23 > 0:02:25of one of their biggest cases.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30In August 2007, Dantas wasn't even on the radar
0:02:30 > 0:02:32when a benefit assessor flagged up
0:02:32 > 0:02:35some discrepancies with benefit claims in Brent.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39Some of the forms looked suspicious and possibly fake.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43The suspicious claims were passed on to fraud investigator Simon Lane.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46The first claim we had in respect to this case
0:02:46 > 0:02:47was from a guy called Jose Nunes
0:02:47 > 0:02:50who was living in Chamberlain Road in the borough
0:02:50 > 0:02:53as a single man, allegedly with his daughter.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57The checks that were initially made on that claim were with HMRC
0:02:57 > 0:02:59to see if the tax credits letters were genuine
0:02:59 > 0:03:01and also with the whole of Brent schools
0:03:01 > 0:03:04to see where the daughter was being educated.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Eventually, the checks came back from HMRC
0:03:07 > 0:03:10saying that the tax credit letters weren't genuine or had been altered
0:03:10 > 0:03:13and we couldn't find any trace of the daughter.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Wait a minute. The school had no idea who this guy's daughter was.
0:03:17 > 0:03:18That's a bit weird.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21A short while later, a different benefits assessor
0:03:21 > 0:03:23handed on an unrelated claim to the investigators.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26This time it was bank statements that didn't add up.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29We then received a claim from Evandro Pereira
0:03:29 > 0:03:31at another address, Bazalgette House.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Similar MO, claimant with a child.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37The assessment officer that received that claim was suspicious
0:03:37 > 0:03:40because the bank statement was showing the date of February,
0:03:40 > 0:03:44but spelt with a V, Fev, shortened version of February,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47which would be obviously not the correct English spelling.
0:03:47 > 0:03:48And sent it to us to have a look at.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52So another single dad claiming for a nonexistent child.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54And what about these spelling mistakes?
0:03:54 > 0:03:57The team decided to look further into this Evandro Pereira.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01The case was assigned to one of their top fraud investigators.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04Due to the nature of his job, he's asked to remain anonymous.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08One of the things that we noticed on the claim was that there was dates,
0:04:08 > 0:04:13it was marked Fev, F-E-V, on a Barclays Bank statement.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16We contacted Barclays Bank in order to verify whether or not
0:04:16 > 0:04:20that is something they would put on one of their statements
0:04:20 > 0:04:22to see whether it was an authentic statement
0:04:22 > 0:04:25or if it was a fraudulent counterfeit document.
0:04:25 > 0:04:31Barclays did verify that they would not put Fev on their bank statements.
0:04:31 > 0:04:37OK. So that's two single dads bringing up children in the borough,
0:04:37 > 0:04:38both with questionable paperwork.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41A short time later, there was yet another case
0:04:41 > 0:04:43with striking similarities.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47Again, we received a claim in the name of Danielle Alexandre
0:04:47 > 0:04:51at an address close to the other two addresses.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55Again, it carried the Fev date on the bank statement.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58We made some enquiries with the landlord of that property,
0:04:58 > 0:05:02who said Alexandre wasn't, as far as they were concerned, a tenant.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04Not a tenant.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Similar spelling mistakes.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11What could these links between unassociated applicants mean?
0:05:11 > 0:05:13There were questions to be asked,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16but meanwhile, claims were still flowing into the office.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Around about the same time, we received a further claim
0:05:19 > 0:05:21from a guy called Cesar Teixeira.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23He's at the same address as Alexandre.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Same MO, low earnings, children involved,
0:05:27 > 0:05:30can't trace the children to schools.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Fraudulent claims, addresses appearing again and again,
0:05:33 > 0:05:35but with different occupants.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Benefit claims for children that couldn't be tracked down.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Something was up and the team knew it.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44But for the time being, these were all being treated
0:05:44 > 0:05:49as separate, unrelated cases by different investigators.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52These cases shared addresses and spelling mistakes
0:05:52 > 0:05:54and, what do you know,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57bank statements included in Alexandre's paperwork
0:05:57 > 0:05:59contained data relating to Pereira,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02linking the two separate claimants.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05It could well have been that the same statements
0:06:05 > 0:06:07were used on the other claims
0:06:07 > 0:06:11where they'd just changed the name and the address on the statements,
0:06:11 > 0:06:13the account information and details held within there.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16Obviously, you can't see who they relate to,
0:06:16 > 0:06:17but they would have been the same ones.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Further investigations started to raise more suspicions.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Requests for extra information
0:06:22 > 0:06:26resulted in inconsistent employer and landlord details.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28We'd ask for other information,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31things like wage slips or contracts of employment.
0:06:31 > 0:06:36At which point, Alexandre decided to withdraw her claim to benefit.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40With all the inconsistencies, it was time to pay someone a visit.
0:06:47 > 0:06:48With the Pereira claim,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50we actually went around to the property.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Knocked on the door looking for him and was told he wasn't about.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58We tried to invite him in for an interview
0:06:58 > 0:07:01and we got a call to say that he was unavailable.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04We tried to rearrange it and then shortly after,
0:07:04 > 0:07:07we got a letter in to say he's going back to Brazil
0:07:07 > 0:07:10and obviously can't make any more appointments.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Like a red rag to a bull to an investigator.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Often, the very act of withdrawing or cancelling a claim
0:07:16 > 0:07:18is a sign of potential guilt.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Basically, what we thought then
0:07:20 > 0:07:23was they were willing to burn a claim, as we call it,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26to stop the claim, throw it away and start with a new claim
0:07:26 > 0:07:28to avoid getting caught.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33We got together the officers involved and we realised
0:07:33 > 0:07:36there were similarities within the different investigations
0:07:36 > 0:07:38that we were looking at.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42They were using addresses, contact numbers and other information.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45A landlord's telephone number on one claim
0:07:45 > 0:07:47would be an employer's telephone number on another claim.
0:07:47 > 0:07:52A previous address on one claim would be where they were working on a different claim.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59It was at that stage we started looking at the identities on the claims.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03We noted that the Nunes and the Teixeira claims
0:08:03 > 0:08:07had the same photograph on different passports.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10While the investigators weren't exactly sure who was responsible,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14it looked like the team had unearthed a large-scale,
0:08:14 > 0:08:15highly-organised benefit fraud
0:08:15 > 0:08:17relying on multiple addresses,
0:08:17 > 0:08:20multiple identities and fake paperwork,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23paperwork that was allowing them to make claims.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Then yet another suspicious application was passed on to them.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29This time from a Miss Fabiola Dantas.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Remember her?
0:08:31 > 0:08:32She's our hard-working mother
0:08:32 > 0:08:35claiming for housing benefit and tax credits.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Dantas was also claiming for children
0:08:37 > 0:08:40who weren't known to the local schools either.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Sound familiar? Well, just look a little closer.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46She was claiming for three children. When we looked historically,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49those children had changed over the years.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52There was a total of 12 different children registered to her claim,
0:08:52 > 0:08:54never all in one go.
0:08:54 > 0:08:5612 children. Wow!
0:08:56 > 0:09:00I mean, I can't imagine anyone with all those children
0:09:00 > 0:09:03would ever have time to con the council.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Unless she was some kind of supermum.
0:09:06 > 0:09:11Only ever two to four children registered at any one time.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13As the children got older, into a school year
0:09:13 > 0:09:16where a benefit assessor had contacted them
0:09:16 > 0:09:19to ask for some verifications of that child,
0:09:19 > 0:09:20something would happen.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23They'd move abroad, they'd move to family members.
0:09:23 > 0:09:28Dantas even went as far as to declare that one child had died.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31We were given a death certificate to that.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33And obviously, later,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36further children would be added to the claim again.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38But there wasn't 12 children
0:09:38 > 0:09:40on there at one time to raise that suspicion.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43It's only when you look into the archives of the previous details
0:09:43 > 0:09:45that went obviously back a number of years
0:09:45 > 0:09:48that this all came to light.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51This long-term deception was damning enough,
0:09:51 > 0:09:55but once Dantas was in the frame, her name began to appear everywhere.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59linked to the properties and individuals already under investigation,
0:09:59 > 0:10:04which had now been grouped under the codename Operation Scarlet.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07When they started to knock on doors, the plot thickened.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10Fabiola Dantas was also a claimant of ours.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14So she was not only a claimant, but she was being identified
0:10:14 > 0:10:17as a possible landlord by some of the tenants.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20How could a mother claiming for benefits be a landlord, as well?
0:10:20 > 0:10:22It didn't added up.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24We obtained all of the claim forms
0:10:24 > 0:10:27and the relevant documents that had been submitted.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30We started to suspect some people were using multiple identities,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33particularly the Nunes claim,
0:10:33 > 0:10:35where we felt that the picture on the passport
0:10:35 > 0:10:38was similar to the Teixeira claim.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42The paper trail suggested Dantas was not only claiming tax credits illegally,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45but might also be using fake passports and identities
0:10:45 > 0:10:48under the names of Teixeira, Nunes and Pereira
0:10:48 > 0:10:51to make further bogus benefit claims.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55Fabiola Dantas turned up as a guarantor for Nunes
0:10:55 > 0:10:58and she also turned up as a council taxpayer at Blackheath House,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01neither of which she was ostensibly associated with.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04The web was getting more complex.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07On top of everything else, investigators were beginning
0:11:07 > 0:11:10to suspect that Dantas was renting houses in false names,
0:11:10 > 0:11:12claiming benefits at those properties,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14as well as taking rent from tenants.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18There were a number of properties, about ten or eleven properties.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Lots of the properties were used as either employer addresses
0:11:21 > 0:11:24or landlord addresses for other claims.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27And then those properties themselves would be other employer addresses
0:11:27 > 0:11:29and the whole thing was linked.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33You'd get a circular link, if you like, with various phone numbers
0:11:33 > 0:11:35associated with properties linked to other properties,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38all within this group of ten or eleven properties.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42The investigators were realising
0:11:42 > 0:11:45Dantas was at the centre of what's known as carousel fraud.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49She was creating multiple fake identities
0:11:49 > 0:11:52and recycling their details across different claims
0:11:52 > 0:11:54in a circular effect.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Dantas was defrauding the council of hundreds of thousands of pounds.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01The pressure was on to find her
0:12:01 > 0:12:05and bring a stop to a misleading merry-go-round of criminality.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Operation Scarlet was given the green light.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Would they be able to bring Dantas to justice?
0:12:11 > 0:12:14I remember the morning of the searches.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16I was feeling very nervous,
0:12:16 > 0:12:19hoping that all the evidence I got was obviously accurate.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23I'm thinking, "I don't want this to go wrong."
0:12:28 > 0:12:33OK. Farewell to the fraudsters and hello to people we call saints.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36That's those in society who help others who are in genuine need,
0:12:36 > 0:12:38but are sometimes too proud
0:12:38 > 0:12:41or don't know how to claim what's rightfully theirs.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49Imagine a world where all your everyday needs
0:12:49 > 0:12:52require somebody else to help you -
0:12:52 > 0:12:54simple things like emptying the washing machine,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57opening a door or picking up a pencil.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59All the things that, in fact,
0:12:59 > 0:13:03able-bodied people take for granted without a second thought.
0:13:03 > 0:13:08And that's exactly what life's like for 33-year-old Lorna Marsh.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11I have cerebral palsy quadriplegia.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16The cerebral palsy means that I'm a wheelchair user
0:13:16 > 0:13:20and the quadriplegia bit means that it affects all four limbs.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23And it basically means the messages
0:13:23 > 0:13:27don't get from my head to where I want them to go.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Lorna keeps herself very busy.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31She's not only working with autistic children
0:13:31 > 0:13:33and adults as a part-time teacher,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36on top of that, she's got a successful career
0:13:36 > 0:13:40working for an organisation called Surrey Independent Living Council.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43It's a job that draws on all her experience
0:13:43 > 0:13:45and insight as a disabled person.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49I've come to meet her to find out a bit more.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53The role that you have helping people, how does that work?
0:13:53 > 0:13:55What do you help them to do?
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Basically, I support people with their direct payments.
0:13:58 > 0:14:03Direct payments is a funding that's awarded by government
0:14:03 > 0:14:07to help other people in various situations live more independently.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09What is it that qualifies you, do you think,
0:14:09 > 0:14:11to be able to help people in this way?
0:14:11 > 0:14:14I've been on direct payments myself for about 18 years or so.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19I also saw the fight that my parents had to find out the information.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22And I thought, "I don't want other people to go through that."
0:14:22 > 0:14:28I just saw it as a good opportunity to share my experiences with them.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32Confidence has never been an issue for Lorna.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34From as far as I can remember,
0:14:34 > 0:14:38I've always been absolutely determined if there's something I want to do,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40then there's no reason why I shouldn't do it.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44And that's what drives me to achieve as much as I want to achieve.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47And I think that if I wasn't disabled,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50then I wouldn't have the drive I've got.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53Because I want to prove people wrong all the time.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55She's no shrinking violet.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57And true to her belief in proving people wrong,
0:14:57 > 0:14:59she went to university to study dance.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02People might look at you in your wheelchair and say
0:15:02 > 0:15:05you are the least qualified person they can think of
0:15:05 > 0:15:06to be engaging in the act of dance.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08How does it work?
0:15:08 > 0:15:12It works by me having the creative ideas in my head
0:15:12 > 0:15:15and having the opportunity to get other people
0:15:15 > 0:15:18who are able bodied or more able than myself
0:15:18 > 0:15:21to produce them in front of me.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Lorna had a great time at university,
0:15:23 > 0:15:26but it was there that she began to realise
0:15:26 > 0:15:28just how hard life was going to be for her
0:15:28 > 0:15:31as an independent woman out in the big wide world.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33I couldn't go, "Mum? Dad? I need a hand."
0:15:33 > 0:15:37Because they were saying, "We're not helping now. You've moved out."
0:15:37 > 0:15:39It was a good thing, they did me a favour.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41But obviously, they're there if I need them,
0:15:41 > 0:15:44but they said, "You've got to try and do this on your own."
0:15:44 > 0:15:46Living life with cerebral palsy
0:15:46 > 0:15:49not only means that Lorna Marsh requires a wheelchair,
0:15:49 > 0:15:52but she needs substantial help on a daily basis.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55The question was, how could Lorna be more independent,
0:15:55 > 0:15:57given her care needs?
0:15:57 > 0:15:59The solution came when least expected.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03And when it did, Lorna was quick to take up the lead.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06I was actually at a wheelchair exhibition.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09They had a dog there and I fell in love with the dog
0:16:09 > 0:16:11and I fell in love with the whole concept.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14The big idea was that of Canine Partners,
0:16:14 > 0:16:19which, as the name suggests, partners a client with a disability
0:16:19 > 0:16:23with a trained dog that can do many useful everyday tasks.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27Yes, it's time to meet Eli, Lorna's best friend and helper.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31He's a live-in personal assistant who's only too happy to help.
0:16:31 > 0:16:36Talk me through the things he can help you out with on a daily basis.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39But he does 306 or so different things for me.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43They range from opening and closing the door...
0:16:44 > 0:16:45Good lad! Good lad!
0:16:45 > 0:16:48..opening and closing the bin
0:16:48 > 0:16:50to helping me take my coat off...
0:16:50 > 0:16:52Good boy!
0:16:52 > 0:16:55..to flushing the toilet...
0:16:55 > 0:16:56Yay!
0:16:56 > 0:16:58..to turning the lights on and off.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00You know, the list is nonstop.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02PHONE RINGS
0:17:02 > 0:17:03Good boy!
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Good boy!
0:17:05 > 0:17:10The range of tasks that Eli is able to perform is amazing.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14It takes hours of dedicated and specialised training
0:17:14 > 0:17:17before the dogs get to go home with their new owners.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20It takes about two years for the dogs to complete their training.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23So they are with puppy parents
0:17:23 > 0:17:26up until the first 14-18 months of their lives,
0:17:26 > 0:17:28where they have weekly puppy classes.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30And they come into us, where we have them
0:17:30 > 0:17:33for 15 weeks in advance training.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35So usually, by the time the dog's going out,
0:17:35 > 0:17:37they're usually about two years old.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41Once the all-important bond between Lorna and Eli was established,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44the impact on her life was instant and dramatic.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48And I remember, I got him to open the door
0:17:48 > 0:17:51and then I also got him to close the door behind me.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56This was the first time I'd opened and closed the door independently
0:17:56 > 0:17:59in my entire life ever.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02It sounds to me like you've got two things here.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05- You've got really practical help. - Yeah.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09But you've also got something which just is another asset to your life,
0:18:09 > 0:18:11another facet to your life
0:18:11 > 0:18:14which makes it a life, not an existence.
0:18:14 > 0:18:19He's one of the best decisions I ever made.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22I'm going to cry, so I'm going to stop.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Yeah, no, he's phenomenal.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Because it's just great.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31It just means I'm a little bit less disabled than I was before.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Between 2007 and 2009,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49a series of fraudulent applications for child tax credits
0:18:49 > 0:18:51and assorted fake documents
0:18:51 > 0:18:55sent alarm bells ringing for Brent Council fraud investigators.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Fabiola Dantas' name kept on cropping up,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01linking her to an organised scam to defraud the council
0:19:01 > 0:19:04of hundred of thousands of pounds.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06There was, sort of, what we'd call a carousel effect,
0:19:06 > 0:19:10where they were pushing the details around on to the next claim.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14And we'd linked the fact they were all using European identities,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17they were all claiming to work 16 hours,
0:19:17 > 0:19:20which is the minimum amount of hours
0:19:20 > 0:19:23you can work to get tax credits at that time,
0:19:23 > 0:19:26which meant they could get their top-up housing benefit
0:19:26 > 0:19:27at the maximum rate.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31The fact that they had children, they could get three, four bedroom houses
0:19:31 > 0:19:33to house those children.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37We realised the claims were linked because of the contact details
0:19:37 > 0:19:40and because of the use of various documentation
0:19:40 > 0:19:42within each of the claims, different names appearing,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44the children's names being very similar
0:19:44 > 0:19:47and literally the same thing occurring
0:19:47 > 0:19:49on all of these benefit claims.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51The investigators believed Dantas was at the centre
0:19:51 > 0:19:54of all this carousel fraud.
0:19:54 > 0:19:55Now they just had to prove it.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01We'd contacted the banks and building societies involved
0:20:01 > 0:20:06and they'd provided us with CCTV footage from ATMs.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10We wasn't sure, but we did see that there was a gentleman and a lady
0:20:10 > 0:20:14that were more often drawing money from the various bank accounts.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19That's when we believed it was people creating fraudulent identities
0:20:19 > 0:20:23to obtain benefit claims and abuse the system.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26The investigators were now hot on Dantas' trail
0:20:26 > 0:20:29and were trying to prove she was pocketing the money.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31In the meantime, investigators were able
0:20:31 > 0:20:34to join up all the confusing elements
0:20:34 > 0:20:37to get their first clear view of how the scam worked.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41We believe the properties were private landlord-owned properties
0:20:41 > 0:20:45rented out directly or via estate agencies
0:20:45 > 0:20:47to Dantas or her associates.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49We're aware that the rent was paid.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52Often the benefit was there to pay the rent.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56That wasn't where she was getting necessarily the profit of her scam.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59The profit came from the fact that there wasn't children
0:20:59 > 0:21:01and she had many spare rooms that were then rented out.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04And if you're not actually paying the rent, housing benefit is,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07any profit you get goes straight to yourself.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10So that's what it's all about.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12Now that Dantas' fraud was out in the open,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16the investigators had to move quickly to shut her down.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20We've got no power of arrest as a local authority
0:21:20 > 0:21:23and no powers to search, so we need the assistance of the police.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26So in around 2011, we approached our colleagues at Wembley Police
0:21:26 > 0:21:29to see if they'd assist with an arrest and search.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32The whole investigation had been conducted by Brent Council
0:21:32 > 0:21:34and they'd spent quite a few months gathering the evidence
0:21:34 > 0:21:36with regards to the frauds.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38So in effect, it was their own investigation.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41They needed police assistance with regards to executing warrants,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43taking people into custody.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46The police arranged for search warrants
0:21:46 > 0:21:50on five different properties to be conducted simultaneously.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Now that the police were on board,
0:21:52 > 0:21:56the team got ready for a raid on the suspect properties.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58After so much time tracking down the criminals,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01they were understandably tense.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05In the morning at the briefing, we could see 30 police officers,
0:22:05 > 0:22:0915 UK Border Agency officers for any Brazilian overstayers
0:22:09 > 0:22:13and also eight of my colleagues that were involved in the searches.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16I'm thinking, "I don't want this to go wrong."
0:22:16 > 0:22:18"I hope my evidence is secure."
0:22:18 > 0:22:24I remember them moving from the briefing to sites of the searches
0:22:24 > 0:22:27and how professional and organised the police were
0:22:27 > 0:22:30in getting their search teams into place
0:22:30 > 0:22:32on a number of these properties.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37As the police went in, it wasn't long
0:22:37 > 0:22:40before they realised they'd struck gold.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43Of the arrests that were made, some were for immigration offences
0:22:43 > 0:22:45that were dealt with by the UK Border Agency.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Then, with regards to criminal arrests,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50we arrested one of the main subjects, which was Fabiola Dantas.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Bingo! The team were in luck
0:22:52 > 0:22:55and the police had nabbed their chief suspect.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58When the police and investigators entered the properties,
0:22:58 > 0:23:00they found Fabiola Dantas quite quickly.
0:23:00 > 0:23:05She was at one of the properties that there was a claim to benefit at.
0:23:05 > 0:23:06Just not the claim address
0:23:06 > 0:23:09that she was claiming to live at for benefit purposes.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11She was using one of the other addresses.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14The address she was claiming at was only two doors away.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16Also, in her property, there were no children,
0:23:16 > 0:23:20but there were other people that were paying her rent.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Not only had the police had caught Dantas red-handed,
0:23:23 > 0:23:25they also bagged evidence of her activities,
0:23:25 > 0:23:28including more damning paperwork
0:23:28 > 0:23:31that proved she was the key player all along.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34She had a small Mercedes vehicle out the front.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Both the vehicle and her house were searched.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41We found a number of items which were used in evidence,
0:23:41 > 0:23:43including bank cards with PIN numbers written on the back
0:23:43 > 0:23:45in the names of some of the other tenants.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48Blank tenancy agreements and blank wage slips.
0:23:48 > 0:23:53She did have the latest gadgets, iPhones, computers, et cetera,
0:23:53 > 0:23:57but not huge, significant amounts or luxury items within the house.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59We found many pictures.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03We could clearly see that she'd been to Amsterdam, Paris,
0:24:03 > 0:24:05Egypt, to a football game,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Benfica, which is in Portugal.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12The money obviously was going into this luxury lifestyle
0:24:12 > 0:24:14of travelling around Europe.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17Her mobile phone was looked at, as well,
0:24:17 > 0:24:19and we found, having translated it at a later stage,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22she said that she was sending a lot of money back home to Brazil
0:24:22 > 0:24:24to family that she had there.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27With Dantas finally under arrest,
0:24:27 > 0:24:29the fraud team felt like they were getting close
0:24:29 > 0:24:31to putting a stop to this scam.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36And from their chief suspect, they wanted answers.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38But even under questioning, it seemed that Dantas
0:24:38 > 0:24:41wasn't prepared to go quietly.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44One of my officers interviewed her under caution.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46At that interview, she was quite evasive.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48She couldn't provide any proper explanation
0:24:48 > 0:24:50as to what the basis of the claims were,
0:24:50 > 0:24:52where these children were.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55She initially said that she was an informant of ours
0:24:55 > 0:24:58and she'd given us anonymous information about these claims.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01She was very evasive, not particularly helpful
0:25:01 > 0:25:05and had a cock-and-bull story about this all being done by other people.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08It seemed that after a lifetime of deceit,
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Dantas couldn't help but lay the lies on even thicker.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16She was prepared to tell anything, apart from the truth.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19While on remand, she requested a second interview with us.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22And we ended up interviewing her in one of the cells at court
0:25:22 > 0:25:24and she offered an explanation
0:25:24 > 0:25:27that her children were being held hostage in Brazil
0:25:27 > 0:25:30and she was being forced to perpetuate this fraud.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33She'd never started it, she was just perpetuating a fraud
0:25:33 > 0:25:36that had been set up by someone else and she was doing so under duress.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38With the amount of evidence they had,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41clearly, these last-ditch attempts to cover up her guilt
0:25:41 > 0:25:43weren't going to fool anybody.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45In the end, Dantas pleaded guilty to all charges
0:25:45 > 0:25:50and was finally sent down for 27 months in prison.
0:25:52 > 0:25:53But the big question has to be,
0:25:53 > 0:25:58how much did her 12-year criminal campaign cost the public purse
0:25:58 > 0:26:00before a stint in jail finally put a stop to it?
0:26:00 > 0:26:06A whopping estimated £192,000.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12We're always pleased to see a custodial sentence in these cases
0:26:12 > 0:26:14where there's a significant amount of money
0:26:14 > 0:26:17taken from the public purse, nearly £200,000.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19We're still pursuing a confiscation hearing.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22There will be one under the Proceeds of Crime Act,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24where we'll be trying to identify any assets
0:26:24 > 0:26:26that are held by Miss Dantas
0:26:26 > 0:26:29and trying to identify any criminal benefit that she's gained
0:26:29 > 0:26:31as a result of the monies that she's stolen from us.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35And we'll be attempting to recover funds where possible.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40Eventually, like all bad things, it came to an end.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44And Dantas' carousel fraud finally stopped turning.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49As did her world, when the judge sent her to jail.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51You can't claim benefits from there.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd