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  "path": "/news/benefits-fraudster-50k-money-exposed-local-council-dwp",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-27T05:27:49.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Benefits fraudster who hid improvements in health from DWP pleads guilty to cheating system",
    "Benefits fraudster went on £20k Amazon rampage AFTER she was caught conning taxpayers",
    "Woman stole £300,000 from holidaymakers to pay children's private school fees",
    "woman swindled more than £25,000 in disability benefits"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nA benefits fraudster who raked in more than £50,000 in public money has been exposed after an investigation by her local council and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).\n\nPauline Ellam, formerly of Pollington, Goole, East Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to fraudulently claiming council tax support, housing benefit and employment support.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nHer scam, which stretched from January 2020 to January 2023, saw her pocket £51,224.60 in taxpayer cash.\n\nEllam's crimes were exposed following a joint-investigation by East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the DWP.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\nThe Yorkshire resident had not told authorities she was living with her partner and maintaining a common household with him.\n\nThis impacted her entitlement to benefits - with Ellam being handed an overpayment in council tax support, housing benefit and employment support allowance.\n\nShe appeared at Leeds Crown Court, where a judge sentenced her to 29 months behind bars - suspended for two years.\n\nEllam was also ordered to undertake 15 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nShe will also be forced to pay back every penny of her ill-gotten gains.\n\nProceeds of Crime Act proceedings have been launched to ensure she will not hold on to any more money from the public purse.\n\nCouncillor Nigel Wilkinson, East Riding of Yorkshire Council cabinet member for finance and governance said: “The council has a zero-tolerance approach to fraud of all types and will take action against anyone found cheating the system.\n\n\"If you suspect that someone may be claiming benefits that they are not entitled to, call the fraud hotline or speak to one of our officers.”\n\n### FRAUDSTERS HANDED JUSTICE - READ THE LATEST:\n\n\n\n\n  * Benefits fraudster who hid improvements in health from DWP pleads guilty to cheating system\n  * Benefits fraudster went on £20k Amazon rampage AFTER she was caught conning taxpayers\n  * Woman stole £300,000 from holidaymakers to pay children's private school fees\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe council insisted that anyone who wished to report benefits fraud can do so anonymously via the authority's website.\n\nIt comes after a woman swindled more than £25,000 in disability benefits after she was found to be an active gym-goer and competitive runner despite claiming to be housebound.\n\nHelen Green, 49, fraudulently obtained Personal Independence Payment (PIP) by claiming she suffered from severe rheumatoid arthritis, along with a slipped disc that left her unable to leave her home.\n\nThe fraud came to light following a tip-off to the DWP's fraud hotline, with an investigation revealing an egregious breach of her claim.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nSecurity cameras at her local gym captured Green engaged in high-energy fitness classes, including Zumba, Body Combat, Body Pump, Core Blast and Spin sessions.\n\nThe 49-year-old received a seven-month prison sentence at Shrewsbury Crown Court.\n\nIn 2024/25, benefits fraud and claimant errors cost the British taxpayer £9.5billion - just over three per cent of the Government's total benefits spending.\n\nHowever, the net loss is lower due to recovery efforts from the DWP, which brings in just over £1billion every year.\n\n###\n\n\nOur Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter",
  "title": "Benefits fraudster who raked in £50k of YOUR money exposed by local council and DWP"
}