A benefits fraudster has been sentenced to nearly two-and-a-half years in jail after falsely claiming £250,000 worth of benefits.
Hossein Najafi, 57, lived under two identities and claimed multiple benefit payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
These included Personal Independent Payment (PIP), Employment Support Allowance (ESA), Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and housing benefits.
Under a false identity, Mr Najafi claimed benefits from two addresses while claiming to have physical disabilities.
Furthermore, he did not disclose any income he had alongside his benefits which would affected the amount of money he may otherwise have been entitled to.
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Manchester Crown Square was told how Mr Najafi applied for a passport in August 2011 which had his birthplace as being Tehran.
In June 2010, he received a letter addressed to Hussein Ali Nagrafi from the UK Border Agency which gave him indefinite leave to remain in the UK.
Using that letter, Mr Najafi was able to create another identity and he obtained a Home Office Identity card, a second National Insurance and a provisional driving licence.
Despite the elaborate nature of this scam, the fraudster used the same telephone numbers under both his identities when in contact with the DWP.
Officers discovered 26 bank accounts in his two identities and learned received a total of £349,487 which he was not entitled to.
The police also found Home Office identity cards and a provisional driving licence in the name of Hussein Ali Nagrafi.
The 57-year-old was arrested and pleaded guilty to 21 offences, which included fraud and possession of identity documents that were used to carry out these scams.
He was then sentenced to 29 months in jail at Manchester Crown Square on October 24, 2024.
Following the sentence, senior crown prosecutor Maqsood Khan explained: “Fraudsters like Hossein Ali Najafi abuse the benefits system, which exists to support people who are in genuine need.
“The Crown Prosecution Service works with other Government agencies and the police to protect the benefits system from abuse.”
