Delivery driver impersonated friends and family to steal more than £172K in benefit payments

Delivery driver impersonated friends and family to steal more than £172K in benefit payments Atikur Rahman used 26 identities to make more than 40 claims for benefits including maternity allowance, universal credit, tax credits and child benefit - Bookmark Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in A delivery driver who assumed the identities of his closest friends and family to steal more than £172,000 in benefit payments has been jailed. Atikur Rahman, 34, used 26 identities along with fictitious companies, employment information and children to make more than 40 claims for benefits including maternity allowance, universal credit, tax credits and child benefit, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said. He also tried to use the Eat Out to Help Out scheme – designed to support the struggling hospitality sector during Covid – to obtain more than £62,000 through 20 fraudulent registrations. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) intervened before any money was paid out. Rahman, from Margate, Kent, 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, according to DWP. Financial information led DWP investigators to a trove of claims using hijacked identities. Rahman was sentenced on Friday at Canterbury Crown Court to 40 months imprisonment and an eight-year director disqualification after pleading guilty to multiple fraud charges between July 2015 and May 2021. Lilian Greenwood, 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.” HMRC initially arrested Rahman in October 2021 and searched his home as part of the joint investigation. During a later interview with HMRC investigators, he admitted making the fraudulent registrations. In October 2025 he was charged with five counts of fraud, to which he pleaded guilty, DWP said. Margaret Mousley, deputy director of 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.”