Social care fraudster who stole £17k is spared jail

Nichola Mohammed Ali, from Poplar Hill, in Stowmarket, Suffolk, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud

A fraudster who claimed nearly £17,000 of social care payments and spent the money on holidays and other outgoings has avoided jail.

Nichola Mohammed Ali, from Poplar Hill, in Stowmarket, Suffolk, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud between December 2021 and November 2024, totalling £16,886.91.

The 45-year-old transferred funds from her social care direct payment account to her personal account, made payments to fake carers - and fabricated invoices.

At a hearing at Ipswich Magistrates' Court on Monday, Ali was handed a 24-week jail term, suspended for a year, and was ordered to pay more than £2,000 in costs.

Beccy Hopfensperger, Suffolk County Council's cabinet member for adult care, said: "This case represents a serious breach of trust and a deliberate misuse of public funds intended to support genuine care needs.

"Suffolk County Council takes fraud of any kind extremely seriously, and I am pleased that our Counter Fraud Service was able to investigate and bring this matter to court."

Ali was caught by Suffolk County Council's social care practitioner and members of its counter fraud team

Ali was caught after a social care review in September 2024 found she had been transferring funds from her social care direct payment account to her personal account.

When quizzed on the payments, Ali stated that one of her carers, whom she named, did not have a bank account, and so she had to withdraw the cash herself to pay them.

She also provided invoices to the authority's social care practitioner, allegedly from the named carer, as evidence, before eventually withdrawing from the care review.

It was also found that Ali made over-payments from the direct payment account to legitimate carers and requested them to pay back money into her personal account rather than the direct payment account, also enabling her to use this money on non-care related expenditure.

The concerns were referred to the council's Counter Fraud Service for investigation, and the direct payment was suspended.

"We are committed to ensuring that direct payments are used appropriately and that our systems remain robust, fair, and focused on supporting the most vulnerable in our communities," added Miss Hopfensperger.

"We will continue to strengthen our safeguards and act decisively wherever abuse is identified."