A woman has been fined £30,000 after collecting jobseekers’ allowance while failing to declare her capital.
Mazine Davis, 66, from Glebe Manor, Newtonabbey in Northern Ireland, claimed £29,353 that she was not entitled to.
Mrs Davis was found guilty at Laganside Crown Court on Tuesday.
The fraud was uncovered following an investigation by the Department for Communities (DfC).
All money wrongfully claimed by Mrs Davis has been repaid to the DfC in full.
The DfC has encouraged people to report those suspected of benefit fraud.
Individuals can report any fraud anonymously online, by phone or in writing.
Benefit fraud in Northern Ireland costs the state over £160million every year.
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The fraudster was found guilty at Laganside Crown Court
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Earlier this year, communities minister Gordon Lyons explained his plans to publicise cases of those convicted of fraudulent claims.
The proposals from Mr Lyons were outlined in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Mr Lyons warned that “welfare fraud is not just a financial issue”, but “a moral one”.
He stated: “When individuals cheat the system, they are not stealing from a faceless entity; they are taking from their neighbours, their friends, and their fellow citizens.
“They are undermining the very safety net that so many rely on.
“Therefore, let me be unequivocal: I am taking a zero-tolerance approach.
“I am personally committed to rooting out fraud and ensuring that those who exploit the system face the consequences.”
Several anti-poverty activists have argued the approach is “misguided” and warned it will increase fear among benefit claimants.
Jim Allister raised concerns about fraud in the Commons
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PALeader of the Traditional Unionist Voice and North Antrim MP, Jim Allister, raised similar concerns to Mr Lyons in the House of Commons.
He told MPs: “It seems to me that there is a tendency within the Northern Ireland Executive to be less rigorous than they ought to be on fraud, because they are not recovering money that has been misused from the block grant; they are recovering money that has been misused from the Treasury.
“That, for some of them, shamefully, does seem to create a disincentive to pursuing fraud recovery with the vigour that they should.
“I say that on the basis of figures released in a number of Northern Ireland Assembly answers.
“They show that in the last five years there have been only between 200 to 300 fraud pursuit cases in Northern Ireland, touching on only £4.5million.
“There is a lot more fraud in the benefits system in Northern Ireland than £4.5million.
“Let us pursue fraud with vigor, but let the Secretary of State put some pressure on the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that they are living up to their obligations to also save the Treasury the money that has been lost in fraud.”