Courts / Dublin / Report
Asylum seeker used false identity to claim €50k in benefits
Summary
Samba Sow, an asylum‑seeker who arrived from Senegal in 2007, used a false identity, Moussa Sow, to work in Ireland and later claim €50,000 in social welfare payments between 2011 and 2014. He obtained a PPS number under the false name, worked in a Dublin pub, paid income tax and PRSI, and was made redundant during the recession. After losing his job, he claimed job seekers' benefit, job seekers' allowance and rent allowance under the false name, totalling €50,006. In 2015, when he was granted permission to remain, he stopped claiming under the false name and made a legitimate claim in his real name. The Department of Social Protection's facial‑recognition system flagged his deception, leading to his arrest. In court, Sow pleaded guilty to 18 counts of stealing social welfare payments. Judge Catherine Murphy imposed a suspended two‑year sentence, noting that Sow never attempted to double‑dip or claim payments under two names.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Asylum seeker used false identity to claim €50k in benefits. Charges or matters: 18 counts of stealing social welfare payments from Phibsborough Post Office, North Circular Road, Dublin 7 and AIB in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 between April 2011 and December 2014. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- April 2011 Other
- December 2014 Other
- October 2015 Incident
- 2011 and 2014 Other
- 2016-12-13 Publication
Case subjects
Applicant
Charges: 18 counts of stealing social welfare payments from Phibsborough Post Office, North Circular Road, Dublin 7 and AIB in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 between April 2011 and December 2014 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Handing down a suspended two-year sentence, Judge Catherine Murphy noted that although Sow claimed his entitlements under a false name, he never tried to claim double payments. "As soon as he was given an alternative social welfare payment, he ceased claiming the first payment," she said.
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Kilakee Way
- North Circular Road
- Dublin
Topics
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