Former Job Centre Plus worker claimed £23,000 in false benefits

A covert investigation by Fife Council has led to a former Job Centre Plus worker being jailed for four months for benefits fraud.

Aftabe Mohammed was sent to prison for trying to cheat the local authority out of over £23,000 of housing benefit.

Mohammed was caught as a result of a 20-month probe by the council’s inquiry team.

The local authority said Mohammed had been pretending to live and work in Manchester while using a relative to falsely claim housing benefit for an address in Kirkcaldy.

As a consequence of his actions he lost his job at Job Centre Plus in Leven.

The council’s revenue and exchequer service’s Eileen Rowand said, “This particular case was investigated by the council’s team and is the highest single amount of benefit we have successfully pursued on our own.

“It also serves as a warning to those people who are out there defrauding the system — you can be found out.”

A spokeswoman from the Crown Office confirmed Mohammed had been charged and found guilty of two counts of fraud.