Benefits fraudster delivery driver, USA News (Kent, England): A takeaway delivery driver who worked in Kent has been imprisoned for 40 months after orchestrating a complex benefits fraud that netted him £172,000 by assuming the identities of 26 friends and family members. Atikur Rahman, 34, was sentenced yesterday at Canterbury Crown Court following a six-year scheme that exploited multiple government support programmes.
The fraud involved submitting over 40 bogus claims for benefits including universal credit, child benefit, tax credits and maternity allowance, according to the Department for Work and Pensions. Rahman, whose gambling addiction ultimately destroyed his family home, also attempted to defraud the Eat Out to Help Out scheme of an additional £62,000 through 20 fraudulent business registrations. HMRC successfully prevented any payments being made after identifying the attempted scam.
The fraud operated through multiple deception methods, with Rahman fabricating claims based on non-existent children and youngsters residing abroad. Prosecutor Andrew Evans told Canterbury Crown Court claims submitted to HMRC were supported by fabricated payslips purporting to show employment at various restaurant and takeaway establishments that never actually conducted business.
Rahman also manipulated the maternity allowance system by completing medical forms ordinarily reserved for midwives or doctors. These fraudulent applications all referenced the Limes medical centre, where genuine patients had no pregnancy records on file. The stolen funds were channelled through 18 separate bank accounts operating under different names, including those of his wife and various associates.
Rahman particularly exploited individuals who had approached him for benefits guidance, diverting their payments into accounts under his control. The Eat Out to Help Out fraud attempt involved registering 20 fictitious hospitality businesses, including entities named Tiger UK House Ltd and Gypsy Food Ltd. Rahman submitted these applications during July, combining hijacked personal details with fabricated company information, false addresses and fake email accounts.
The deception collapsed when HMRC investigators conducted site visits to the registered business addresses, discovering unrelated commercial properties and residential homes instead of the purported restaurants and takeaways. Had the scheme succeeded, prosecutors estimated Rahman would have obtained approximately £62,880.
Margaret Mousley, deputy director of HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, stated that the Eat Out to Help Out scheme was designed to support businesses during an exceptionally difficult time, but Rahman tried to exploit it for his own gain. She emphasised robust anti-fraud mechanisms enabled HMRC to identify all 20 fraudulent registrations before releasing taxpayers’ money.
The scheme was exposed in 2018 when one of Rahman’s victims attempted to submit their own legitimate benefits claim, prompting staff to raise suspicions. The Department for Work and Pensions investigation subsequently uncovered financial records revealing numerous claims made using stolen identities.
HMRC officers arrested Rahman at his residence in October 2021, conducting a search as part of their joint inquiry. During initial questioning, he denied receiving fraudulent payments before later acknowledging his involvement in much of the criminal activity. Formal charges followed in 2024, encompassing both the benefits fraud and the attempted Eat Out to Help Out deception.
The court heard that proceedings were delayed partly by justice system backlogs and partly because Rahman was in Bangladesh when he should have attended a magistrates’ court appearance. He ultimately pleaded guilty to five fraud charges in October 2025.
Defence barrister Simon Molyneux detailed how Rahman’s gambling habit resulted in the sale of the family home and caused severe harm to his young children, noting Rahman had not gambled for over three years and had submitted a letter expressing remorse to Judge Edmund Fowler.
Sentencing Rahman, Judge Fowler characterised the offences as meticulous and very sophisticated. Rahman received an eight-year ban from serving as a company director alongside his prison term.
