Lies cost Fulham woman £2,000
A Fulham woman has been
fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £350 in costs for making a false claim to try to
get housing benefit from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.
Leah Neufeld, 53, of Fulham, owns a £500,000 freehold property in SW6, but
forged documents in April, 2005, to indicate she was only a tenant at the house,
in order to claim housing benefit.
Benefits investigators were suspicious of the claims and discovered that, rather
than paying £475 per week in rent, Ms Neufeld owned the expensive property,
which disqualified her from claiming housing benefit.
Ms Neufeld pleaded guilty to charges of making false statements and using a
false document in an attempt to claim benefit she was not entitled to.
She was sentenced in West London Magistrates Court on 1st December.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council is determined to crack down on benefit fraud,
which takes money away from those who most need it and is a burden on all tax
payers.
The Council has a dedicated team of trained officers to investigate allegations
of benefit fraud and prosecutes those who claim benefits they are not entitled
to.
To report a case of suspected fraud against Housing Benefits call the Fraud
Hotline on 020 8753 1273 or log on to
www.lbhf.gov.uk and go to "Report Benefit Fraud".
All information is treated in the strictest confidence and you can remain
anonymous.
Editors Notes
Leah NEUFELD was charged with 3 offences
* Dishonestly making a false statement contrary Section 111A(a) of the
Social Security Administration Act 1992 (as
amended)
* Dishonestly producing a false document contrary to Section 111A(b) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 (as amended)
* Attempting to claim Housing Benefit contrary to Section 1 of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981 ends
Chris Flemyng
Investigation Officer
Benefit Investigation Team
London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
77 Glenthorne Road, London, W6 0LJ
Tel 020 8753 1289 (Direct
Line)
Fax 020 8753 1342 (Secure)
E-Mail chris.flemyng@lbhf.gov.uk