Southport man stole friend’s ID to claim £121k in benefits

A man who used a family friend’s identity to enter the UK illegally before claiming more than £120,000 in benefits over 17 years has been jailed.

Mozambique national Tricamo Farid, 40, of Southport, Merseyside, was jailed for two years at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting fraud.

The court heard he stole the card from a family friend in Lisbon in 1999 before travelling to the UK illegally.

He then posed as an EU citizen in order to get a job and claim benefits.

He was given a National Insurance number in 2001 after applying under the name of Dercio Quinta.

Between 2002 and 2019, Farid claimed £121,177 in benefits from the Department of Work and Pensions and Sefton Council, the court heard.

DWP fraud investigators and police also found a marriage certificate, a birth certificate for his child, a bank card and general paperwork all in the name of Mr Quinta at his home.

Farid admitted 15 counts of fraud, three counts of acquiring criminal property, one count of dishonestly retaining a wrongful credit and one count of being knowingly concerned in fraudulent activity.

A spokesman for the Crown Prosecution Service said: “This is a serious and significant social security benefit and local authority fraud case.

“The benefits Farid claimed are urgently needed by many genuine claimants. Essentially, Farid has been living a lie for more than 18 years.”