0:00:02 > 0:00:06Here in the UK we're lucky enough to have transport networks, legal aid and free healthcare.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08We are very lucky to have an NHS system,
0:00:08 > 0:00:11because a lot of countries, they have to pay for it.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13It's something we should pride ourselves upon.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17These services are mostly paid for by us, the taxpayer,
0:00:17 > 0:00:19and, on the whole, we don't mind.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23But what happens when someone tries to steal from the system?
0:00:23 > 0:00:27If they've stolen it, then, they know they're running a risk,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30so if they get caught, it's a fair cop.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Well, it's outrageous, disgusting, and needs to be dealt with.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37With the economy as tough as it is, it's more important than ever
0:00:37 > 0:00:41that those who nick from the system don't get away with it,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44and those who need help get it.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47This is the world of Saints And Scroungers.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54Coming up, the scroungers that are out to beat the system.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57A fraudster claiming benefits in one London borough
0:00:57 > 0:01:01turns out to be a successful landlord in the borough next door.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06In October 2009, at the point he claimed housing benefit
0:01:06 > 0:01:11from Barnet Council, he had £311,000.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13And those who rightly deserve a helping hand.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18We meet a man who's struggled to get back to work after losing his sight.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20I thought, if I can get a job working with my hands
0:01:20 > 0:01:23with something I know about, get a qualification,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25I might be able to get some work.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Life's no picnic on a low income.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Yeah, you can get help in the form of benefits,
0:01:32 > 0:01:36but very often, any benefit that gives you
0:01:36 > 0:01:39is gobbled up by your outgoings.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42That's why, when people claim to be skint when they're not
0:01:42 > 0:01:44in order to get those benefits...
0:01:44 > 0:01:48well, you'll find that people get annoyed.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54Meet Mohsen Aboudarda. He's been living in the UK for 25 years
0:01:54 > 0:01:58after moving here from Iran, and now lives in Barnet,
0:01:58 > 0:02:00a suburb ten miles northwest of Central London,
0:02:00 > 0:02:04with a population of around 350,000.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06Down on his luck, Aboudarda's been unemployed
0:02:06 > 0:02:10and reliant on benefits since 2009,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12living in just one room of a shared house.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15He was helped out by his local council.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20On his initial claim form submitted to Barnet,
0:02:20 > 0:02:24Aboudarda said that he was living on £85 a week
0:02:24 > 0:02:26employment and support allowance,
0:02:26 > 0:02:30had just £1,000 in the bank, and didn't own any other property.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33The council gave him £90 a week to help pay his rent
0:02:33 > 0:02:35in the form of housing benefit.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38It's pretty straightforward so far, you might think.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42But in February 2011,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Barnet's anti-fraud team received a referral from Enfield Council,
0:02:45 > 0:02:49regarding a landlord in their borough called Mr Sabet,
0:02:49 > 0:02:53who was living at the same address as Mr Aboudarda in Barnet.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01What really stood out was that the two men shared the same first name.
0:03:01 > 0:03:06Over the years Aboudarda had received over £13,000 in benefit,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08so the fraud investigators were keen to look into the case
0:03:08 > 0:03:10a little further.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14The file ended up on the desk of benefits counter-fraud manager,
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Tony Nash. The question was, were these two people the same person?
0:03:18 > 0:03:22'I've come down to Barnet HQ to find out.'
0:03:24 > 0:03:29So, at the moment we have two names in two different boroughs.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33One's a landlord doing very nicely, thank you.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36The other is a single person needing benefits
0:03:36 > 0:03:38to get a roof over their head.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41How do you start to establish that they might be the same person?
0:03:41 > 0:03:45We initially did a credit check on the name of Aboudarda.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49It come back with links to the name of Mohsen Sabet -
0:03:49 > 0:03:52same date of birth, had bank accounts,
0:03:52 > 0:03:55credit cards and mortgages.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59Following that, we did checks with the banks
0:03:59 > 0:04:02through powers that we are able to do,
0:04:02 > 0:04:05and it again showed further links
0:04:05 > 0:04:09with the names of Aboudarda and Sabet.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11The evidence was good, but still not strong enough
0:04:11 > 0:04:15to prove that Sabet and Aboudarda were in fact the same person.
0:04:15 > 0:04:20The fact they shared the same first name and, now, date of birth was ringing alarm bells, though.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24We then did further checks with Land Registry
0:04:24 > 0:04:28if there were any more properties owned
0:04:28 > 0:04:31in the name of Aboudarda or Sabet.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35'These checks showed that Sabet owned and was the landlord
0:04:35 > 0:04:38'of two houses, one in Oakwood Park,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40'another in Hampshire Road.'
0:04:40 > 0:04:43The searches also showed that Sabet was joint owner
0:04:43 > 0:04:46of a property in Laurel Way.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50So, the landlord Sabet owned three houses,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53and appeared to be renting a room to Aboudarda,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56but something just wasn't right.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58With more information about Sabet,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01the team searched under the name of Aboudarda,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04the name of the benefit claimant who'd told them he was unemployed.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08This search showed that Aboudarda had owned a luggage shop
0:05:08 > 0:05:11on London Road since November 2004.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14A shop-owner on benefits?
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Surely business can't be that bad!
0:05:17 > 0:05:21This shop was not declared on any of his benefit claim forms,
0:05:21 > 0:05:23and set the bells ringing again,
0:05:23 > 0:05:26as he almost certainly had been claiming money
0:05:26 > 0:05:29that he wasn't entitled to. But that wasn't all.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31Under closer inspection of his claim form,
0:05:31 > 0:05:35something even more troubling was discovered.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38On the benefit claim at Laurel Way,
0:05:38 > 0:05:44Mohsen Aboudarda had stated that his letting agents were Century Estates,
0:05:44 > 0:05:46who were at London Road.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Not only were the shop and the letting agency on the same street,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52they were at the same number.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55But searches showed there were no letting agents at that address.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59It was now obvious that Aboudarda was committing major fraud.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01He had his own shop,
0:06:01 > 0:06:05and was using it to help him scam Barnet Council and local taxpayers
0:06:05 > 0:06:07out of thousands of pounds.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10So, we've got two men living at the same address -
0:06:10 > 0:06:13one man who owns a shop and was more than likely ineligible
0:06:13 > 0:06:16for state support, and another man, a landlord,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18who owns three properties.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21The fraud investigators had two identities with too many links,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24but they needed to confirm 100%
0:06:24 > 0:06:26that they were indeed the same person.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28The property in our area, we found out
0:06:28 > 0:06:32that it was purchased in November 2007
0:06:32 > 0:06:36in the name of Mohsen Sabet and his partner,
0:06:36 > 0:06:38who actually was his wife.
0:06:38 > 0:06:43There's nothing unusual about a couple owning a property together,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46but according to Aboudarda's housing-benefit claim form,
0:06:46 > 0:06:50Sabet's wife was Aboudarda's landlady.
0:06:52 > 0:06:53The evidence was mounting up.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56They have two men who are linked through their first name,
0:06:56 > 0:07:00date of birth, bank statements and credit cards.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03One, Mohsen Sabet, is a property mogul who owns three houses,
0:07:03 > 0:07:05the other, Mohsen Aboudarda,
0:07:05 > 0:07:09a businessman stealing benefits from Barnet Council.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12We'll find out later if the team were able to prove
0:07:12 > 0:07:15the two Mohsens were the same man.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21For now, though, it's time to say farewell to the scroungers
0:07:21 > 0:07:24trying to fleece the system, and hello to those we call our saints,
0:07:24 > 0:07:28people who do everything to make sure that people in need of help,
0:07:28 > 0:07:31who are too proud or simply don't know how to help themselves
0:07:31 > 0:07:34get what they deserve.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42It may be an obvious thing to say,
0:07:42 > 0:07:45but people with normal sight can take for granted
0:07:45 > 0:07:47just how much we need our eyes.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50If something goes wrong with yours,
0:07:50 > 0:07:52it can affect every aspect of your life.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55Imagine, then, how worrying and frustrating it must be
0:07:55 > 0:07:57to lose some of your sight,
0:07:57 > 0:08:01but without anybody being able to tell you why.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04Meet Kevin Smith from London,
0:08:04 > 0:08:10who in the 1980s and early '90s had a successful career as a printer.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13I started on local newspapers. I worked on national newspapers.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16When I saw the way printing was getting cheaper and cheaper,
0:08:16 > 0:08:18I went and worked for a big magazine company.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23The father of two boys, Kevin had everything he'd always wanted.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26But in 1991 life became much more challenging,
0:08:26 > 0:08:32when, aged just 35, he lost the sight in his left eye.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Fearing the worst, and in shock, Kevin was rushed to hospital.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38I had lots of tests at Atkinson Morley,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41um, Marsden, all of them, loads and loads of tests.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44It was, "We don't know what's happened but you've lost your sight."
0:08:46 > 0:08:48The doctors couldn't tell him any more,
0:08:48 > 0:08:50so Kevin resigned himself to the fact
0:08:50 > 0:08:52he'd never see out of his left eye again.
0:08:52 > 0:08:57Then, to make matters worse, after working solidly for 19 years,
0:08:57 > 0:09:02Kevin was made redundant, and unable to find more printing work,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04as the industry had become much smaller
0:09:04 > 0:09:07thanks to advances in computer technology.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09But Kevin wouldn't give up,
0:09:09 > 0:09:11and refused to let his new disability get in the way.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14I'd had a very small time unemployed, which I didn't like,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17so I got a job as a minicab driver. Chose to work nights,
0:09:17 > 0:09:20hated it, but it got us through with the kids.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25Growing up, it never really affected Kevin's two sons George and Jack.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28I just helped in as many ways as I possibly could, really.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32Then, in 2003, Kevin found his dream job
0:09:32 > 0:09:35working as a ticket inspector on London buses.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37it was a wonderful job.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40My job was to detect and deter fare evasion.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43If they got a fining, well, that kept the fares down.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Kevin worked for the company for several years,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49and was even able to develop his language skills.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52I speak French, Spanish and Polish - not fluently,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55but sufficient to say, "Look, mate, you haven't got a ticket."
0:09:55 > 0:09:59"We need to deal with this." If you're talking their language,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02and you can talk things through, and next time you see them again -
0:10:02 > 0:10:05cos in London you always do - they've got a proper ticket.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09Having come to terms with the shock of losing the sight in one eye,
0:10:09 > 0:10:12and the fact that no-one could explain why it had happened,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Kevin had accepted his situation and got on with his life.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18He was working, enjoying his job,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21and it's fair to say he was coping pretty well -
0:10:21 > 0:10:26until, in 2009, suddenly his life changed again.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29My friend Larry lives at Tower Bridge, so we had a pint.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33I got the Tube home, ironed my shirt, got everything ready for the morning,
0:10:33 > 0:10:35went to bed, normal as the day can be.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38And then I woke up and I couldn't see any more.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Kevin went straight to the doctor's,
0:10:40 > 0:10:42who immediately sent him to hospital.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46Kevin had lost 75% of the vision in his right eye,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48and results showed that he had a condition
0:10:48 > 0:10:51called anterior optic neuropathy,
0:10:51 > 0:10:56which is caused by blocking or damaging of the optic nerves,
0:10:56 > 0:11:00and can be caused by infection, inflammation or trauma.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03They said, "This is what's happened." My optic nerve's been dying,
0:11:03 > 0:11:06er, over the years, and it's finally come to a head.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12Kevin was finding even the most basic day-to-day tasks very difficult.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Just little things like eating, you know,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19how to judge when a fork's in your meal. In the end you use a spoon.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21and you think, "Oh, no, I did that when I was a baby."
0:11:21 > 0:11:25'That's how life's changed. That's how every single thing's changed.'
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Finding clothes in the morning. You have to put it just so,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31so you know where it is, cos otherwise it's gone.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34He has to think about things a lot more.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36He can't just walk down the street.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38He's got to think about where he's going.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41He needs to learn everything before he does it.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44He can't just go for a walk, because he's going to get lost.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46It's not as easy as that.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49And, of course, Kevin was now unable to do the job he loved.
0:11:49 > 0:11:54Even though the company tried to find him an office-based role,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57it was decided that, after seven years of service,
0:11:57 > 0:11:59aged 54, he should retire.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02That was a bad time. That Christmas was horrible.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04'In lots of ways it was the end of the world,
0:12:04 > 0:12:08'cos I was the wrong age for it to happen. I was on my own in life.'
0:12:08 > 0:12:12All that comradeship from work has gone.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15Having lost his sight and his job,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Kevin's future was looking uncertain,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21and he found himself living on employment and support allowance
0:12:21 > 0:12:25and housing benefit, something he thought he'd never have to do.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27It should be there if you need it,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29cos there are people who can't deal with life.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32But I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to do it,
0:12:32 > 0:12:34and I'm not proud or anything like that.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37There's people worse off than me who are more entitled to it.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41To help him get used to coping with life as a blind person,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44it was suggested that Kevin move to a sheltered-housing project.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48The project's run by a charity, and helps people who've lost their sight
0:12:48 > 0:12:51to come to terms with their situation
0:12:51 > 0:12:55and get to grips with the practicalities of being blind.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57'You're with other people that've got the same thing.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01'There's someone showing you how to get on a bus, how to do this, that.'
0:13:01 > 0:13:03They had carers, you know, whatever you needed.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05I did a lot of shouting at them as well,
0:13:05 > 0:13:09but they were used to it. They sort of shouted back in a nice way.
0:13:09 > 0:13:14That's the only way I can describe it. Because of them, I started getting my head together.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16'It was always in the back of my mind that I needed a job.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18'"I can't live like this. I'm bored."'
0:13:18 > 0:13:21It was lovely, you know, talking with people,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24but I found I was going home and thinking,
0:13:24 > 0:13:26"What have you actually achieved today?"
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Kevin had been living in sheltered housing,
0:13:28 > 0:13:33and unhappily claiming benefits, when all he really wanted was a job.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36He did courses in gardening and computing,
0:13:36 > 0:13:38and sent out over a hundred CVs,
0:13:38 > 0:13:42but still only managed to get some temporary part-time work.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45It was a frustrating time, and no matter how hard he tried,
0:13:45 > 0:13:47he just couldn't get a break.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50If he could get a job that's going to support him
0:13:50 > 0:13:53for the foreseeable future, I think he'd be all right, to be honest.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58Little did Kevin know that a chance meeting would change his fortunes.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02I got on the Tube one day. I was going to see a mate.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04There's a beautiful yellow dog on the floor.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07I thought, "That's a guide dog." And when I folded my stick -
0:14:07 > 0:14:09I use a long cane that goes click when I fold it -
0:14:09 > 0:14:12"Whoa, are you blind an' all, mate?" HE LAUGHS
0:14:12 > 0:14:16And we started talking, and I said I was looking for work.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19And he said, "Oh, my firm is always taking disabled people on."
0:14:19 > 0:14:23The place Ricky was talking about was called Clarity,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26set up in 1854 by Elizabeth Gilbert,
0:14:26 > 0:14:30who lost her sight aged three after suffering from scarlet fever.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35She believed in enabling blind and disabled people to help themselves,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38a mission that the charity continues with today.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42Initially, the charity had seven blind employees who made baskets,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45but now has a workforce of 101,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48and manufactures high quality shampoos,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51toiletries and other household products.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56Kevin applied straight away, and was invited to meet Jeremy Robinson,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59the chief executive of Clarity.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01It was obvious at Kevin's interview
0:15:01 > 0:15:03that he really wanted to get back into work.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06He'd gone through a really low period dealing with his sight loss,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09but he really wanted to get started again.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13Kevin was soon accepted onto one of their six-month programmes,
0:15:13 > 0:15:19which aims to give employees the confidence and skills they need to get back to full-time work.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21When Kevin moves on, the experience he's gained -
0:15:21 > 0:15:24things like punctuality, reliability,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27working with team-mates, taking instruction from supervisors,
0:15:27 > 0:15:30will stand him in good stead elsewhere.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Working two days a week on the production line
0:15:32 > 0:15:35has given Kevin a well deserved boost.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37The job with Clarity is wonderful, because...
0:15:37 > 0:15:39it's got me back into the rhythm of work,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41getting up to go to work.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44I found... We'd work as a pair, and I was able to say to these guys,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47"Come on, we need to do this," and "What about that?"
0:15:47 > 0:15:50and I thought, "Hang on a minute, Kev. You can still do it,
0:15:50 > 0:15:52even though you can't see it."
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Kevin's time working on the factory floor
0:15:54 > 0:15:57has not only helped him to get his confidence back,
0:15:57 > 0:15:59it's helped him to grow in other ways, too.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02They've helped me come to terms with my disability, big time,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05cos everyone's disabled there, and I realised that I'm not alone.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08I'm not alone, and I'm not just going home thinking,
0:16:08 > 0:16:10"Well, the whole world's against me." It's not.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Not only does the charity provide opportunities for blind people,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18it helps them to prepare for the future
0:16:18 > 0:16:20when they're ready to move on.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22The skills that people are taught here
0:16:22 > 0:16:26are a variety of production and administration tasks.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30They are also helped in terms of their welfare.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33Often people who are visually impaired
0:16:33 > 0:16:37have difficulty filling in forms or talking to the council,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41local authority, etc. So we work on their workplace skills
0:16:41 > 0:16:43and also their skills for life,
0:16:43 > 0:16:48and when people are ready and able to look for work beyond Clarity,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50we help with job-search activities,
0:16:50 > 0:16:54and all the things you would need to secure the next job.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57It's an organisation that's certainly helped Kevin.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01I've got my confidence back. I didn't think anyone would want to employ me,
0:17:01 > 0:17:05you know, sort of, this old boy who can't see very much.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07I know that, sooner or later, there's a job coming.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10My dad will be an asset to any company. He's friendly,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12nice guy, works hard...
0:17:12 > 0:17:16He can speak about four different languages, which is always handy,
0:17:16 > 0:17:18so he's a good guy to have, I'd say.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20HE LAUGHS
0:17:22 > 0:17:27It's fair to say that Kevin's life changed overnight, and when it did,
0:17:27 > 0:17:31he simply refused to let his situation get the better of him.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34He didn't want to depend on benefits,
0:17:34 > 0:17:39and he wanted to live the life he was living before he lost his sight.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Thanks to the right people who could give him the right kind of help,
0:17:43 > 0:17:48Kevin's got every reason to be optimistic about the future.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Time now to return to the world of the scrounger,
0:17:54 > 0:17:58those people who are only too happy ripping off the country's taxpayer.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Barnet Council were on the tail of Mohsen Sabet
0:18:01 > 0:18:05and Mohsen Aboudarda, two men they believed to be the same person,
0:18:05 > 0:18:09and who could potentially have scammed them
0:18:09 > 0:18:12for over £35,500 in benefits.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15We initially did a credit check on the name of Aboudarda.
0:18:15 > 0:18:20It come back with links to the name of Mohsen Sabet -
0:18:20 > 0:18:23same date of birth, had bank accounts,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26credit cards and mortgages.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31Mohsen Sabet is a landlord owning three houses.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35Mohsen Aboudarda has been claiming benefits since 2004,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38but fraud investigator Tony Nash and his team have discovered
0:18:38 > 0:18:42he's a businessman and has his own luggage shop.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45The team now needs to prove conclusively
0:18:45 > 0:18:48that these two men are one and the same.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Working alongside Tony is Clair Green,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54who got in touch with the passport office.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56We established from them
0:18:56 > 0:19:01that Aboudarda had requested a replacement passport back in 2004.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05He'd requested the replacement passport in the name Mohsen Sabet,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08and to them he'd provided evidence of his change of name
0:19:08 > 0:19:11through a deed-poll document.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14This was the most significant piece of evidence that we'd got so far.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16This was the piece of evidence that proved
0:19:16 > 0:19:19that they were in fact the same person.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22With their suspicions confirmed, Clair was able to look further back
0:19:22 > 0:19:25into Sabet and Aboudarda's affairs.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28Now that we knew he was the same person,
0:19:28 > 0:19:30we went back to the credit-check search,
0:19:30 > 0:19:33which indicated a number of bank accounts in both names,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36and we used our powers under Social Security Fraud Act
0:19:36 > 0:19:40to obtain statements from all of the different bank accounts.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44No fewer than 18 bank accounts across the two identities -
0:19:44 > 0:19:48perhaps more than you might expect from your average benefit claimant,
0:19:48 > 0:19:52and a lot more than the two he'd declared on his benefit claim forms.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56When we got these bank accounts back, they was very interesting indeed.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59It showed us that, back in 2004,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02Mr Sabet, or Mr Aboudarda, combined amounts
0:20:02 > 0:20:05that had a significant amount of money in the bank.
0:20:05 > 0:20:122007, we've got a figure of almost 822,000 in the bank account,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15and in October 2009, at the point he claimed housing benefit
0:20:15 > 0:20:19from Barnet Council, he had £311,000,
0:20:19 > 0:20:23which was a bit different to what he'd declared on his claim form.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26We already knew that Sabet the landlord, in Enfield,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29was a businessman and had a business in Enfield.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Now that we'd linked the two people to be the one and the same person,
0:20:32 > 0:20:36we started looking into the business interests in a lot more detail.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38We linked that to the financial records and the bank accounts,
0:20:38 > 0:20:42and it actually revealed that he was running two luggage shops,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44one in Enfield and one in Haringey.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47So now we have a man who owns three houses,
0:20:47 > 0:20:51two luggage shops, and once had nearly a million pounds in the bank,
0:20:51 > 0:20:55yet he has the cheek to claim he needs government help.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Clair got on the phone to the Department for Work and Pensions,
0:20:58 > 0:21:00who also launched an investigation,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03and between them, the two organisations discovered
0:21:03 > 0:21:08Mohsen Aboudarda had been playing the system since 2004,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11coincidentally the same year he bought his luggage shop
0:21:11 > 0:21:13on London Road.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16He'd claimed nearly 1,500 from Enfield Council,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19over 6,500 from Barnet Council,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22and over 12,500 from Haringey Council
0:21:22 > 0:21:27in housing benefit and council-tax benefit that he wasn't entitled to.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30He also fleeced the Department for Work and Pensions
0:21:30 > 0:21:33for over 4,000 in income support,
0:21:33 > 0:21:37and nearly 11,000 in employment and support allowance.
0:21:37 > 0:21:42That's a whopping £35,500 whipped from the public purse.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46Sabet and his alter ego, Mohsen Aboudarda,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48had some serious questions to answer,
0:21:48 > 0:21:52so the DWP invited Aboudarda in for an interview under caution.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55But he told them he wasn't able to attend,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58as he'd found work in a factory in Iran
0:21:58 > 0:22:00and would be away for some time.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04Barnet's fraud team didn't believe he'd left the country,
0:22:04 > 0:22:08and decided to carry on with their investigations.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12At 7:15 AM on the 26th of July 2011,
0:22:12 > 0:22:17the council investigators, the DWP and the Metropolitan Police
0:22:17 > 0:22:21decided to pay a visit to the house he owned with his wife in Barnet.
0:22:21 > 0:22:26- Morning, madam. - Morning.- Mr Sabet upstairs?
0:22:26 > 0:22:28There was no response at first,
0:22:28 > 0:22:30and eventually a lady came to the door,
0:22:30 > 0:22:34and we asked if Mr Aboudarda was there. She said no.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36The woman was Sabet's wife,
0:22:36 > 0:22:40who told the officers that he was away in Iran,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43and she didn't know when he would be back.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46But the officers had a warrant, and were able to search the property.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50We entered the property. It was immediately noticeable
0:22:50 > 0:22:53that the property was in excellent condition,
0:22:53 > 0:22:55very plush indeed.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58And it appeared that Sabet was a little bit closer to home
0:22:58 > 0:23:01than his wife had led the investigators to believe.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04We did a search of the premises,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06and Mr Aboudarda was found
0:23:06 > 0:23:08hiding under the bed in the main bedroom.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Oh, dear - the indignity of it!
0:23:13 > 0:23:17Surely he could have found himself a large suitcase to hide in.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19That would've been a better bet.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26He was arrested, and then a search was done of the premises.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31Numerous bank accounts were found in the name of both Mohsen Aboudarda,
0:23:31 > 0:23:33Mohsen Sabet.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37There were bank cards, bank statements in business names.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40There was also lots of money found at the property.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47So you've got the guy. You can start asking him some questions now.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Yes. We went back to the police station
0:23:49 > 0:23:52and interviewed him under caution.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56Tony and the other investigators started questioning Aboudarda
0:23:56 > 0:23:58about why he was using two names,
0:23:58 > 0:24:03but he was very vague with this and all of his answers.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30During the raid of his house in Barnet,
0:24:30 > 0:24:32the officers found details of bank accounts,
0:24:32 > 0:24:34and could see that large amounts of money
0:24:34 > 0:24:36were coming in and going out,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39but even with the bank statements in front of him,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42he was still vague about his finances when questioned.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39Sabet didn't seem to be able to give a straight answer
0:25:39 > 0:25:42to any of the investigators,
0:25:42 > 0:25:46and he even tried to deny owning the luggage shop under his other name.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25So the truth, but not all the truth. A long way from the whole truth.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27Yeah, a very long way from the whole truth.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30Sabet may have been laughing in his interview under caution,
0:26:30 > 0:26:34but now he'd have to keep a straight face in front of the judge.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37A wealthy business and property owner
0:26:37 > 0:26:41who had absolutely no need to claim money from the taxpayer was about to face the music.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43On 7th of March, 2013,
0:26:43 > 0:26:48Mohsen Sabet was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment
0:26:48 > 0:26:51for ten counts of benefit fraud,
0:26:51 > 0:26:53totalling £36,000,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56against the London Borough of Barnet,
0:26:56 > 0:27:00London Borough of Haringey and Enfield, and the DWP.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08When asked why he'd tried to cheat the system,
0:27:08 > 0:27:10Sabet said he did it because he could.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14Sabet's wife was not linked to or implicated in any of his crimes.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19Under the Proceeds of Crime Act, a confiscation order was granted.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22This means that Mohsen Sabet's assets will be frozen
0:27:22 > 0:27:25and can be sold to recover and repay the money
0:27:25 > 0:27:27that he stole from the taxpaying public.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30'The order also gives Barnet Council the power
0:27:30 > 0:27:33'to confiscate any money that Sabet cannot prove
0:27:33 > 0:27:35'he legitimately earned,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38'putting even more money back into the public purse.'
0:27:39 > 0:27:43So it ensures that, you know, crime doesn't pay for them.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45They don't benefit from their criminal activity.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49Whatever Sabet's reasons for trying to defraud the councils
0:27:49 > 0:27:52of North London and the DWP,
0:27:52 > 0:27:55we can rest assured that the Barnet fraud team won't stop
0:27:55 > 0:27:58until he's repaid every penny that he owes.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Sabet had it all -
0:28:00 > 0:28:03his own successful business and his own home,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06things that people would give their right arms for
0:28:06 > 0:28:09and which take a lifetime of honest endeavour.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12But it wasn't enough. He wanted more,
0:28:12 > 0:28:17and now he's got nine months to work out what he's going to do next,
0:28:17 > 0:28:22and for the council to work out just how much he's going to pay back.