The great universal credit swindle

Multimillion-pound benefit scam is exposed as fraudsters target flagship scheme

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(Image credit: Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Universal credit is being targeted by fraudsters, with tens of millions of pounds believed to have been stolen.

A loophole in the government’s flagship benefits scheme has enabled fraudulent applications and advance loans to be made, leaving genuine claimants left owing hundreds of pounds, a BBC investigation has found.

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