MONEY FOR NOTHING
Shameless benefit cheat stole Universal Credit even though she’d inherited £400,000 and splashed cash on new house
The court heard what she spent her hidden inheritance on
A SHAMELESS benefit cheat stole Universal Credit while splashing on a new home with a secret inheritance pot worth £400,000.
Mum-of-three Amber Marshall received the giant sum after the "unexpected" death of her estranged dad three years ago.
2
The 47-year-old was receiving both Universal Credit and housing benefits.
But when she was a £400,000 windfall following the sale of her late dad's house in 2021, Marshall decided against notifying Medway Council and the Department of Work and Pensions.
By the time her secret was out she had claimed over £10,000 in benefits while splashing hundreds of thousands of pounds on a new house as well as spoiling friends and family.
Maidstone Crown Court heard that Gillingham-based Marshall had just £5,000 left of her inheritance in January 2023.
Read more Money News
The fraudster pleaded guilty to two offences of failing to notify a change in circumstances between September 2021 and May 2022, reports KentOnline.
Marshall's barrister, Amelia Norman, said: "She was entitled to claim benefits, received the money unexpectedly as part of an inheritance and basically buried her head in the sand in terms of informing the authorities."
It was said in court that Marshall is still receiving benefits of £590 per month but after paying for essentials is left with about £60.
As it stands she has repaid the amount of Universal Credit she received but the outstanding housing benefit will be paid as part of a payment plan.
Most read in Money
Although she was spared jail, Marshall was slapped with a 18-month community order with 30 rehabilitation activity requirements as well as 120 hours of unpaid work.
Judge Gareth Branston told Marshall: "I do not underestimate the impact of a loss of a parent even when you have lost contact for many years.
From £450 tax cut to child benefit changes, what the Budget means for YOUR finances
"But it must have been obvious that the authorities needed to know about the inheritance and you have admitted by your pleas that you were dishonest."
REVEALED: BRITAIN'S BENEFITS FRAUDSTERS
Benefits fraud is a costly crime that takes valuable money out of the hands of those who really need it, and multiple criminals doing it have popped up in the UK over the years.
Benefits cheat Ethel McGill pocketed £750,000. the callous pensioner claimed her dad was still alive so she could steal his war pension after his death in 2004.
Her 20-year scheme finally came to an end when investigators caught her trotting around and driving after claiming she was confined to a wheelchair.
McGill was jailed for five years and eight months in July 2019 - with a further eight months added on the following year for failing to pay back her ill-gotten gains.
Elsewhere, Michelle Hanney, 51, swindled more than £33,000 after claiming she could hardly walk and had to use a wheelchair to go outdoors.
But the Rotherham fraudster was found out after sharing photos on Facebook walking her horse and even getting onto the saddle.
She was sentenced to a 12-month community order after pleading guilty to fraudulent activity between May 2021 and August 2022.
Finally, Claire Finney, 41, falsely claimed she was a single mum so she could claim extra child tax credits, universal credit, housing benefit and income support.
But the mum was actually living with long-time partner Joseph Perry during her five-year money-stealing plot.
She used the £97,028.24 of taxpayer cash to enjoy five-star, luxury holidays with her family in Cyprus.
In 2022 gangs reportedly used Photoshop to scam the Department for Work and Pensions out of £8.5billion.
The swindlers had been editing themselves into screenshots taken from Google Maps in a bid to outsmart counter-fraud officers.
And The Sun revealed that over 7,000 Brits ineligible for social housing have been caught wrangling their way onto waiting lists.
Since 2020 government swindle busters have detected £26.4m worth of housing fraud.
The criminal activity, caught by the Cabinet Office’s National Fraud Initiative, came when queues for English council homes topped one million.
2
How much savings can I have on Universal Credit?
PUTTING some money aside for emergencies and rainy days can help you get by in tough times.
This might come in handy if you lose your job and need money to pay bills and living costs.
You could claim Universal Credit too - and having some money in the bank already doesn't always stop you from getting the extra help.
Any savings you have up to £6,000 is ignored under the Department for Work and Pension (DWP) rules.
Money you have over this amount but under £16,000 will be counted when assessing your eligibility for Universal Credit payments.
The money is treated as if you have a monthly income of £4.35 for each £250, according Turn2Us.
That includes "parts of £250" too. The charity also gives a useful example of how this works.
So with savings of £6,300, the first £6,000 would be ignored when claiming Universal Credit.
The additional £300 is counted as if you were earning a monthly income of £8.70.
That's because it's £250 over the ignored amount, plus another £50 over - so that counts as another £250.
It's worth noting that a partner's savings count towards these savings amounts too, even if you are only making a claim for yourself.
On the other hand, there's some money that might not count as savings at all for Universal Credit purposes.
Money is disregarded if it comes from the sale of a home and you are using it to buy a new home.
The same goes for if you get an insurance payout for damage to your home, or if you take out a loan for making home renovations.
If you have savings of over £16,000 then you won't be able to claim Universal Credit.
There is an exception though, according to EntitledTo.
This applies if you move to Universal Credit from tax credits through something known as managed migration.
In this case, your savings won't count at all to your eligibility for 12 assessment periods.
Universal Credit is replacing tax credits and everyone will be moved over eventually.
You need to report how much savings you have (and a partner's) when making a claim for Universal Credit.
You may be asked for documents like bank statements or saving certificates.