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A former Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) employee has been sentenced to 32 months in prison after exploiting Covid-19 rule changes to fraudulently obtain £50,000 in Universal Credit payments.
Rafiq Master, 50, abused his role as an executive officer by submitting false Universal Credit claims into the bank accounts of four individuals, including Khalid Yusuf. When the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, Master took advantage of relaxed identity-verification requirements to carry out the fraud.
An internal DWP investigation in 2021 uncovered the scheme, leading to Master’s dismissal, despite his previously unblemished 10-year employment record.
Preston Crown Court heard that between April 2019 and October 2020, Master created and closed fraudulent Universal Credit claims after receiving advance payments. In total, 51 claims were submitted using 41 different identities, with 31 claims resulting in fraudulent payments, generating around £50,000.
Many of the identities used belonged to unaware victims, some of whom later received letters demanding repayment for overpayments they had never received. When these individuals challenged the claims, the repayment requests were withdrawn.
Master, of London Walk, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to fraud.
During sentencing, Judge Robert Altham, Honorary Recorder of Preston, said Master had taken advantage of the pandemic and the relaxation of face-to-face identification checks introduced to protect the public.
The judge described it as “an unattractive feature” of the case that Master benefitted from Covid-19 safeguards while others were suffering, though he noted the fraud was not directly caused by the pandemic itself.
The court was told Master came from an “otherwise decent and law-abiding family” and had previously contributed to the community. However, he was experiencing financial pressure, including paying for his children’s higher education and repaying loans at the time of the offences.
Judge Altham said the seriousness of the crime, given Master’s position of trust, meant that immediate custody was the only appropriate sentence.
Master was jailed for 32 months.
Khalid Yusuf, 69, of Wimberley Street, Blackburn, admitted helping Master launder the stolen money through his bank accounts. He pleaded guilty to acquiring criminal property and received a 12-month community order, including 10 days of rehabilitation activities, and was fined £500.
