A WIDOW who falsely claimed more than £1,500 in benefits has been told she must re-pay every penny.

Pauline Scully, 65, of Clyde Street, Sheerness, admitted three charges of dishonesty when she appeared before Sittingbourne Magistrates.

She had failed to declare she was receiving a pension from her deceased husband’s employer.

The fraud was discovered as part of a National Fraud Initiative data matching exercise, where housing benefit records are matched against other local authority and government agencies’ pension details.

Magistrates heard Scully had falsely claimed £1,540.94 in housing and council tax benefit between June 15, 2006, and March 13 this year.

She was given a 12 month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £50 costs.

Nick Saunders, benefits manager at Swale Council, said: “Benefit fraud is committed by people of all ages and the fact that someone is pensioner does not give them any more excuse to abuse the system.

“Data matching is one of the many useful tools available to us to uncover information that has been withheld by claimants and expose fraud of this nature.

“Members of the Public can assist us further by reporting, in confidence, anyone they believe is claiming benefits that they have no right to on the Swale Borough Council Fraud Hotline number 01795 417714.”