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A Bulgarian drained 2.2 million pounds from the UK social system

Photo: EPA/BGNES

A Bulgarian siphoned 2.2 million pounds from the money of British taxpayers, the "Sunday Telegraph" reports. The scheme involved flying Bulgarians to Britain, transporting them to jobcenters to apply for benefits and returning them to their homeland.

For four years, Tanyo Danchev used the identities of other people with the intention of claiming Universal Credit. According to the investigation authorities, he controlled the bank cards of the other Bulgarians involved in the scheme and withdrew over two million pounds in cash from their accounts.

The 39-year-old Bulgarian was recently sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to 29 counts of fraud at Snaresbrook Court.

Earlier in the year, a group of five Bulgarians were convicted of the biggest fraud with benefits in the UK, which cost more than 50 million pounds, BNR correspondent in London Veselin Paunov recalls.



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