A wheelchair-bound Dundee woman could be sent to jail after she fraudently claimed more than £32,000 in benefits despite inheriting more than £74,000 from her father’s estate.
Rebecca Sloan, 54, of St Fillans Road, claimed housing benefit, income support and council tax benefit for almost four years after the inheritance came through.
The first offender was only caught after a data-matching exercise uncovered her scam. She admitted her fraud when confronted by Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) investigators last year.
Sloan admitted that between July 15 2008 and January 30 2012 at her home address she failed to give prompt notification to the DWP of a change of her circumstances in that she had received capital in excess of the prescribed limit of £16,000.
As such she received a total of £17,052.80 she was not entitled to.
Sloan also admitted a second charge of failing to notify Dundee City Council of her windfall netting her £15,538.48 in housing benefit and council tax benefit she was not entitled to.
Sheriff Munro deferred sentence until May 29 for reports and she was granted bail.
Elaine Wilson, DWP fraud investigation manager for Scotland, said: “No one should think they can get away with benefit fraud.
“Our investigators have more powers than ever before to track fraudsters using a mixture of the latest technology and old-fashioned detective work. In addition to any sentence imposed by the court, they must also pay back all of the money they falsely obtained.
“Anyone who suspects someone is fraudulently claiming benefits can call our National Benefit Fraud Hotline on 0800 854440. Calls are treated in total confidence.”