A benefit swindler lied about being the parent of disabled blind children in order to make Universal Credit claims.
Colin Taylor, 34, from Inverness, fraudulently obtained more than £4,000 between February 3, 2018, and April 3, 2019, by inventing fake offspring.
After being caught, the 34-year-old has begun to pay off the debt, however only in the form of deductions from benefit claims.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court said: “Universal Credit is an online means-tested benefit and a claimant must access their account online to maintain their own account and declare any change in their circumstances.
Colin Taylor lied about being the parent to disabled blind children in order to make Universal Credit claims
PA
“A claimant is required to confirm and agree that the answers given to the questions are correct and complete.
“Following verification of identity, a claimant can make a claim for an advanced payment.
“The accused confirmed his circumstances as true and then amended his circumstances, adding false housing costs, fictitious children or children who did not live with him and obtained advance payments of Universal Credit.”
On February 4, 2018, Taylor applied for Universal Credit declaring he was unemployed, single and had one dependent child, for which he received £420.
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However, just weeks later, he declared a change of circumstances, saying that he now had three children living with him, including one blind child.
He received a total of f £1,177.37 from these additional claims, money he was not entitled to.
Two months later, Taylor pulled the same trick. On May 8, he declared he was unemployed, single and had two dependent children living with him.
This time, he claimed a different child was blind.
Taylor has begun to pay off the debt, however only in the form of deductions from benefit claims
PATaylor was awarded two advance payments of £1,200 and £325.44 based on the circumstances he described.
This amounted to £1,525.44 in benefits he was not entitled to between May 4 and June 3, as Taylor only had one child who lived with him, who was not blind.
This pattern continued into the next year, with the 34-year-old claiming £4,228.18 he was not entitled to.
Taylor has admitted to three charges under the Social Security Administration Act 1992 of knowingly making false representations in benefit claims at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
Sentencing will be announced next month.
