Benefits fraudster who stole £172,000 of taxpayer cash and tried to fleece £62,000 from Rishi Sunak's Covid Eat Out To Help Out scheme is jailed for 40 months

A benefits fraudster who stole £172,000 of taxpayers' money and tried to cheat Rishi Sunak's Eat Out To Help Out initiative has been jailed for 40 months. Delivery driver Atikur Rahman, 34, was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court in Kent after pleading guilty to multiple fraud charges over a six-year period.He had assumed the identities of his closest friends and family to steal benefits payments between July 2015 and May 2021.Rahman used 26 identities along with fictitious companies, employment information and children to make more than 40 claims for multiple benefits including maternity allowance, Universal Credit, tax credits and child benefit.Rahman was uncovered when one of the victims of his scam tried to make their own benefit claim in 2018 and staff became suspicious, raising concerns.Officials at the Department for Work and Pensions discovered he had made a series of claims using hijacked identities.And HM Revenue and Customs investigators identified 20 fraudulent registrations for then-Chancellor Mr Sunak's Eat Out To Help Out scheme introduced as an attempt to boost restaurant revenues during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.Rahman tried to obtain more than £62,000 through this programme, which gave diners £10 off restaurant meals bought from Monday to Wednesday, although HMRC intervened before any money was paid out to him. Delivery driver Atikur Rahman, 34, was sentenced to 40 months in prison at Canterbury Crown Court in Kent after pleading guilty to multiple fraud charges over a six-year period Among his crimes were attempts to fraudulently cash in the Eat Out To Help Out restaurant scheme launched by then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak (pictured) during the Covid-19 pandemicHMRC initially arrested Rahman in October 2021 and searched his home in Margate, Kent, as part of a joint investigation.During a later interview with HMRC investigators, he admitted making the fraudulent registrations.He was charged last October with five counts of fraud, to which he pleaded guilty, and he has now been jailed for 40 months and barred as a director for eight years.Margaret Mousley, deputy director in HMRC's Fraud Investigation Service, said: 'The Eat Out to Help Out scheme was designed to support businesses during an exceptionally difficult time, but Atikur Rahman tried to exploit it for his own gain.'Robust anti-fraud checks were built into the scheme and HMRC identified his 20 fraudulent registrations, stopping more than £60,000 of taxpayers’ money from being paid out.'We remain determined to tackle those who try to defraud the public purse and I’d urge anyone with information to report it to HMRC on GOV.UK.'Lilian Greenwood, government minister for innovation, fraud and data, said: 'This was a sickening exploitation of people who were persuaded to place their trust in Atikur Rahman.'Every pound lost to fraud is money that should be spent supporting those who genuinely need help and funding vital public services, and I want to thank our investigators and HMRC in their handling of this complex case.'Let this be a warning to all fraudsters – we are undertaking the biggest crackdown in a generation to restore trust and fairness in the welfare system. You will be caught and face the consequences.'Chancellor John Healey this week outlined plans to send 2,000 anti-fraud experts into Jobcentres in a bid to crack down on benefits cheats and save taxpayers £1.4billion.Fraud-busting officials will team up with Work Coaches to spot suspicious Universal Credit claims early.Tougher checks on claims abroad are also promised, targeting fraudsters who fail to report they have left the country in order to keep payments flowing.Benefits scroungers have been altering their documents to beat the system and claim thousands of pounds.One cheat pocketed nearly £39,000 from taxpayers while living in Zimbabwe and collecting rent from a UK property.Another Universal Credit claimant from the Midlands submitted an application for support with childcare costs – but listed their address as a derelict building in the local area.Britain's benefits bill is tipped to soar by £5.5billion next year, significantly more than previously forecast.Recent analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies found that total spending on welfare would rise by around £5.5billion in 2027.That is as much as £2.2billion more than the Treasury has budgeted for, based on Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts.Many benefits increase every April in line with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation rate from the previous September.Official figures published on Wednesday showed the CPI inflation rate for September this year was 3.5 per cent, more than the OBR forecast of 2.3 per cent across 2026.This is the highest rate in almost a year and the sharp rise – from 3.1 per cent in August – was blamed on soaring fuel costs due to the Iran war.READ MORE: Moment 'housebound' benefit cheat takes part in combat classes and works out at the gym – as she is jailed for £25,000 fraud READ MORE: Benefits cheat is jailed after stealing identity of man living near Grenfell Tower to try to get thousands from victim fund READ MORE: John Healey plans to send 2,000 anti-fraud experts into Jobcentres in bid to claw back £1.4billion from benefits cheats – amid warnings welfare bill could soar by £5.5billion