Thousands of jobless Brits conning taxpayers out of eyewatering £1billion a year

Taxpayers are being conned retired of £1bn a twelvemonth (Image: Getty)

Thousands of jobless Britons who are pretending to unrecorded unsocial are conning taxpayers retired of a monolithic £1bn a year, caller figures show.

Couples who unrecorded together, whether they are joined oregon not, person their associated income assessed to find what benefits they are entitled to.

Fraudsters unreal to unrecorded unsocial portion really cohabiting, allowing them to assertion higher benefits.

Singletons lying astir their surviving concern person outgo the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) an estimated £3.9billion successful the past 4 years. The existent fig could beryllium arsenic precocious arsenic £4.5billion successful a worst-case scenario.

Investigators are present cracking down connected 'single swindlers' with the DWP having signed 2 caller contracts worthy astir £7 cardinal to modernise its fraud detection systems.

Fraudsters unreal to unrecorded unsocial whilst really cohabiting (Image: Getty)

The larger contract, valued astatine £5.08million, was awarded to R+ Analytics, whilst the smaller £2million declaration went to bedigital. These firms volition enactment and support the DWP's Data Service Platform.

Whilst investigators are taking to societal media platforms to way down those lying astir surviving with their partners, others person been caught retired by telephone bills.

Those recovered blameworthy look a maximum condemnation of 10 years down bars.

Joanna Marchong, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: "Taxpayers volition beryllium near seething by these azygous swindlers.

"As the Government seeks to benignant retired the nationalist finances, failing to disregard the billions that are being mislaid by this payment fraud would beryllium a breach of spot with Britons.

"The DWP should clamp down connected this earlier these swindlers spiral retired of control."