London Minicab Fraud

Benefits cheat who claimed he was too ill to work had been driving taxi for seven years

A 'crooked cabbie' who cheated Hammersmith & Fulham Council out of £54,400 has appeared in the dock to admit fraud

A benefits cheat who claimed he was "too ill to work" was found working as a taxi driver, following an investigation by Hammersmith & Fulham Council.

So-called 'crooked cabbie' Thaiar Hammoud cheated his way to more than £54,400 between November 2008 and December 2011 while he was living in Langthorne Street in Fulham.

The 53-year-old, who has since moved to Jellico House in Putney, falsely claimed £35,393 in housing benefit, £3,183 in council tax benefit and £15,858 in income support.

A joint investigation between the council and the Department for Work and Pensions discovered that Hammoud had been working as a taxi driver for Fulham-based London Traffic Cars. The mini-cab firm confirmed he had been working regularly for them as a self-employed driver since October 2004, despite him claiming benefits.

Cllr Greg Smith, H&F deputy leader, said: "Benefits are a safety-net for people who genuinely need them and this deliberate deception was a disgraceful abuse of the system. This proves that it does not pay to cheat and that the truth, and the council, will catch up with you if you have been stealing from taxpayers."

The fraud was revealed when a National Fraud Initiative (NFI) data match showed Hammoud held a taxi driver’s licence but was receiving housing and council tax benefits. In interviews, Hammoud claimed that large sums of cash in his bank account that were being deposited in Fulham had come from gambling winnings and loans from friends.

Hammoud admitted fraud at Isleworth Crown Court on January 27 and is due to be sentenced on February 24.
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Fife

A mother has admitted defrauding more than £38,000 from the NHS by claiming travel expenses for fake taxi journeys.

Kathleen Duncan, 44, submitted receipts for up to £160 each, with forged drivers' signatures, to NHS Fife for 13 months. She claimed they were for her terminally ill children to travel from their Dunfermline home to hospital.

Duncan, pleaded guilty on indictment to defrauding NHS Fife of £38,019 between 1 August 2010 and 29 August 2011.The 44-year-old, who now lives in South Queensferry, had originally been charged with defrauding the health board of £60,019 by fraud but the Crown accepted a plea to a reduced charge.

She also forged the signatures of NHS staff needed to confirm her attendance at hospital, Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court heard.Two of her three children have the rare genetic condition Hurler's Syndrome.
The syndrome leaves sufferers physically and mentally disabled, with most living an average of 11 years.

The court heard the children both required regular hospital treatment, both as inpatients and out patients.Fiscal depute Dev Kapadia said: "In July 2010 one of the children received a bone marrow transplant in Manchester.

"Up until this time the children had regularly attended at Victoria and Forth Park hospitals.

"Following the bone marrow transplant the children's attendance at these hospitals was less frequent."

Records showed that between 1 August 2010 and 29 August 2011 the children had 24 outpatient appointments between them and five separate inpatient stays.

Mr Kapadia said: "Between 12 May 2011 and August 13 2011 neither child attended either Victoria or Forth Park Hospital, yet a claim was made for a taxi journey for every single day during this period."

Sheriff Maxwell Hendry deferred sentence until next month for social work background reports and released Duncan on bail.

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Eire

The country's largest taxi firm plunged further into the red last year to record pre-tax losses of €111,033 following a write-down on property values.

National Radio Cabs Ltd has more than 700 taxis on the road and has transported over 17 million passengers since it was established in 1957.

Each day, the firm records 4,000 separate taxi rides through its system and now, new accounts filed by the Dublin-based company show that the firm recorded the pre-tax loss after recording a pre-tax loss of €1.77m in fiscal 2012. The chief factor behind the 2012 loss was a €1.6m property writedown.

Figures show that the firm did make an operating profit of €27,389 in the 12 months to the end of last February but net interest payments of €138,422 resulted in the pre-tax loss.

Operating profit of €27,389 followed an operating profit of €33,684 the previous year.

The firm recorded a post-tax loss of €127,312.

The figures show that the firm's shareholder funds declined last year from €1.4m to €1.27m. The firm's cash also declined sharply from €363,795 to €265,108.

According to the directors' report "in common with all companies operating in Ireland in this sector, the company faces risks and uncertainties such as competition and increasing costs. The directors are of the opinion that the company is well positioned to manage these risks."

The firm was established in 1957 with 12 taxis and has expanded to over 700 vehicles today.

The firm provides a service to over 800 corporate customers.

The figures show that the firm's loss takes account of €158,700 in non-cash depreciation costs.

The filings show that the firm directly employed 41 with 23 in its call centre and 18 in administration.

Staff costs, including directors' remuneration, last year decreased marginally from €1.56m to €1.41m.

The firm's bank borrowings totalled €2m at the end of February.

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Wirral

TAXI passengers in Wirral can travel with added reassurance thanks to the brainchild of a safety-conscious cabbie.

Dave Humphreys has added a modern twist to his Birkenhead-based black cab firm, enabling passengers to track their movements and keep loved ones informed of their location.

The 49-year-old’s Eye Cab Taxi company is one of the first in the country to have its very own app – allowing passengers to find the nearest cab’s availability and speak directly to the driver of their choice.

“It’s all about to safety,” said father-of-four Dave, who worked as a bus driver for 23 years before becoming a cabbie.

“It means you can speak directly to the driver and you can choose which cab you want. It gives peace and mind to our customers and keeps a track on where each cab is.

“You can set it up so that it sends a message to your mum or your sister when you’re in the cab and when you’ve arrived, so they know where you are and that you’re safe.

“When the cab’s light is on, it shows up on the app but when the light is off, it disappears from the screen. That means that no one else can see where you’ve been picked up or dropped off.”

As well as providing adding security and peace of mind, the app – which was inspired by the popular Plane Finder app – also proves useful for those who may have become a little lost.

“It acts like Google Maps and tells you where you are,” explained Dave. “So if you phone for a cab you can tell them exactly where you are.

“The app also gives you all of the information you would normally ask the driver for about where the best place to go for a drink is, when the football is on – it’s all included in the app.

“Another good thing about it is that you know which cab is yours if you’re at a nightclub and loads turn up at once.”

Each journey you make is stored in the app’s history, allowing you to look back and see which cab you used and when – handy if you have left something valuable behind.

It also puts an end to being told your cab is just around the corner when in reality, it is a good 15 minutes away.

“You’ve spoken directly to the driver and they’re not going to say they are 10 minutes away and then turn up 15 minutes late because you’re going to ask what’s going on.

“Alternatively, if you want a little longer before your cab arrives, you can choose one that’s further away.”

There are currently 15 drivers operating under the Eye Cab Taxi brand but Dave hopes that once the app takes off, he will be able to attract drivers from all over Wirral.

He added: “We’re looking to add CCTV to the outside of the cabs and if we’ve got 30 or 40 cabs going around with CCTV it makes it a safer environment for everyone, especially with the street lights being turned off by the council.”