Fraud suspect 'used wigs and disguises' to take citizenship tests for others
Fraud suspect 'used wigs and disguises' to take citizenship tests for others
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A woman in her 60s has been arrested for allegedly using an "array of wigs" and other disguises to pose as at least 14 other people to help them pass UK citizenship tests. The 61-year-old, who has not been named, helped men and women "gain an unfair advantage" in the Life in the UK Test, the Home Office said.
She is accused of wearing various wigs and disguises to pass herself off as the true applicants, in an attempt to dishonestly obtain them leave to remain in the UK. Anyone seeking to stay in the country indefinitely or naturalisation as a British citizen must take the test.
She was arrested at an address in Enfield, north London on Monday where "several false documents and an array of wigs alleged to have been used in the fraudulent scheme" were seized. It is alleged that between June 2022 and August the following year, the woman went to multiple UK test centres, disguising herself and doctoring ID documents to evade detection.
Fraudsters completing the test for others could "lead to people wrongly being granted the right to remain in the country without the proper due diligence", the Home Office said. Three men found guilty after people smuggling probe sparked by woman found in car glove box.
GPS-tagged asylum seeker trial ended with no benefit, Home Office says. Ketamine may become Class A drug as Home Office orders review. Immigration enforcement criminal and financial investigation inspector Phillip Parr said a "complex investigation" had "put a stop to this dangerous scheme".
