Atikur Rahman, USA News (Canterbury, England): 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.
Investigation and Discovery
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.
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.
Sentencing and Official Reaction
Rahman was sentenced 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. She added that every pound lost to fraud is money that should be spent supporting those who genuinely need help and funding vital public services.
Margaret Mousley, deputy director of HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, noted that robust anti-fraud checks built into the Eat Out to Help Out scheme allowed HMRC to identify the 20 fraudulent registrations and stop more than £60,000 of taxpayers’ money from being paid out.
