iStockA woman who once worked for HMRC carried out a “sophisticated” fraud on her former employers.
Bridget McLaughlin, 64, stole £19,000 in income tax repayments between 2017 and 2019.
McLaughlin, who was employed between 2002 and 2006, used her prior knowledge to take advantage of the system.
McLaughlin had previously defrauded HMRC and was ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work in 2013.
She was back in the dock after she pled guilty to a charge under the Tax Management Act.
Glasgow Sheriff Court heard that McLaughlin was caught following a police operation named Wellfounded.
During the investigation, it became known that McLaughlin worked in the tax credits department of HMRC.
Her role included how to complete tax credit forms and the criteria to obtain tax credits, as well as obtaining details relating to P60 and P45s.
McLaughlin was registered with HMRC as being self-employed and applied to submit self-assessment tax returns.
The hearing was told she continued to submit suspected fraudulent ITSA returns and declared false income tax figures to claim repayments.
She created fictitious self-employment and overstated expenses she incurred in that employment.
She also inflated the income tax figure from genuine pension income and claimed income tax which she was not entitled to.
The fiscal depute stated that a total of £19,000 had been paid out to her.
McLaughlin, of Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, was arrested by police in July 2021.
The sheriff later stated that the matter was “quite sophisticated” and ordered McLaughlin to do 300 hours of unpaid work.
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