The valued of frauds committed in the South West and Wales rose more than seven-fold last year, according to professional services firm KPMG. However, one fraud accounted for 80% of the entire region’s total. Notable offenders included a woman who was ordered by Bristol Crown Court to undertake 150 hours of community service after falsely claiming to be eligible to work in the UK. She and five family members used each other as referees to register as NHS healthcare assistants and nurses, gaining contracts and payments of over £306,000.
Elsewhere, a Banbury man who stole almost £700,000 from the Cotswold Water Park Society, set up a bank account in his home town in the name of the society, and paid cheques into that account, instead of the charity’s genuine account. He admitted to six separate charges at Gloucester Crown Court and was jailed for four years and four months.
Further south, a Tavistock woman was jailed for three years after stealing more than £100,000 from her employer, a local motor repair business. She pleaded guilty at Plymouth Crown Court to four charges, including false representation, theft, concealing criminal property and false accounting.
In Wales, two sisters from Colwyn Bay were jailed for three and a half years after admitting making a £161m fraudulent VAT claim and illegally claiming thousands of pounds of benefits. HMRC said it would begin confiscation proceedings against the sisters.
KPMG’s Fraud Barometer has been running for 25 years and considers major fraud cases being heard in the UK’s crown courts, where charges are in excess of £100,000.
