UK Authorities Inundated With Shabby Photoshops By Swindlers To Collect Benefits
British authorities have wisened to a rise of benefit-seeking profiteers living abroad whose Achilles’ heel is subpar photoshopping skills.
The pandemic spurred a growth in welfare claims in the UK, and while many requests have been innocuous, there has also been a spike in fraudulent attempts where criminals have worked their creative photo-editing (in)abilities to exploit “relaxed” guidelines by trying to place themselves in images.
The Times of London, which obtained some of these suspicious photos, cites one dubious instance of a man positioned by his front door. As the individual was thought to be living outside of the UK at the time, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) asked that he take a photo of himself outside his house to prove that he was still eligible for welfare.
What officers received was a digital cutout of the suspect on a Google Street View snapshot of the house, as evidenced by the visible Google Street View camera in the reflection of a nearby car and the Google watermark on the photo.
🚨 | NEW: Some people are photoshopping themselves in front of their front door on Google Maps to try and prove to DWP that they are still in the country to receive benefits
— Politics UK (@POLITlCSUK) January 20, 2023
Via @thetimes pic.twitter.com/VyLwfZPcNA
Another tweak showed a woman carrying her baby, her feet not touching the ground. The DWP has seen several similar edits, including one of a couple levitating on their doorstep.
Several fraudsters have superimposed themselves in front of the same green door, which has been traced to inspirational images on Pinterest.
The DWP says such digital manipulations have been so rampant in the last couple of years, it has enlisted 1,000 agents to specifically keep an eye out for details that suggest a photo may be staged. As of last year, criminals have tried to bag £8.6 billion (US$10.6 billion) in benefits through bogus claims.
When a fake image has been identified, the department will alert other offices to watch out for similar activity by the same suspects.
As a civilised society we will always support the vulnerable. But for those who seek to abuse the system, we have a blunt message. We will find you and you will face the full force of the law.
— Mel Stride (@MelJStride) January 22, 2023
Read about our work to stop fraudsters in the Times: https://t.co/WiJwSph4Qg
DWP shares photoshop fails sent by benefit fraudsters claiming to live in the UK - Wales Online https://t.co/6s1yM00cog
— dɯıɥɔɹnos (@sourchimp) January 24, 2023
