Fraudsters from Dartford who plotted to steal £50m in a tax scam have been jailed.

The trio siphoned off more than £560,000 from HM Revenue and Customs before they were caught by officials.

They were sold taxpayers' identitites by three corrupt HMRC staff and then used them to receive fraudulent tax repayments obtained from legitimate self assessment accounts.

Olamide Coker, 33, and Olaniyi Akinyemi, 32, were both jailed for three years at Maidstone Crown Court. Rufina Ulom, 30, will sentenced to two-and-a-half years behind bars. All three had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and have been recommended for deportation after their release.

HMRC officers seized laptops and documents linking the three to the fraud at their home in Chapman Court, Dartford. They were arrested in June 2009.

Three former HMRC employees have been sentenced for a total of eight years for their part in the fraud.

An HMRC spokesman said the total figure that could have been stolen, had it not intervened, would have topped £50m. It will be seeking orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act to get the money back.

For the full story see next week's Dartford Messenger.