The Eastern European gang hijacked 6,000 identities to make claims for Universal Credit and used the names of children living in Bulgaria as part of the five year scam. They set up three 'benefit factories' across London churning out bogus tenancy agreements, counterfeit payslips and forged letters from landlords, employers, and GPs to trick the DWP. The group appeared to be hiding in plain sight - posting photos on social media smiling and posing behind the counter of Antonia's Foods supermarket in Wood Green. A system involving burner phones lowered down to waiting customers via a bucket pulley mechanism was also used to improve the scam's efficiency. The enormous haul of money gained from their 'complex financial web' of claims was laundered through a number of accounts, then withdrawn in cash - with £750,000 in bank notes found stuffed in suitcases at one of their homes.
Five Bulgarian fraudsters who raked in £54million from Britain's biggest ever benefit fraud are jailed for 25 years: Gang set up 'benefit factories' to hijack 6,000 identities to make claims for Universal Credit
