British Government Catches Benefits Fraudsters Thanks to Bad Photoshop

The UK Department for Work and Pensions has shared a series of photos that show benefits fraudsters caught in the act thanks to their poor Photoshop skills. 

Cases of fraud against the Department for Work and Pensions reached a total of £8.5 billion last year, having ballooned significantly during the pandemic, when many people attempted to take advantage of the relaxed regulations for receiving benefits. Many cases came about when citizens who were abroad would attempt to claim welfare benefits that required them to live in the UK. The DWP would ask them to take a picture of themselves in front of their front doors to prove residency, which would lead the fraudsters to attempt to use Photoshop, often with rather hilarious results. 

Of course, the most obvious giveaway in most cases is the lack of attention to shadows and proper compositing, leading to weirdly floating figures, but the lower of the two above is particularly egregious, with the Google Maps Street View watermark still visible and some sort of weird intersection with the car windshield occurring. To help fight the increased instances of fraud, the DWP has created a team of 1,000 anti-fraud employees. 

All images credit Department of Work and Pensions.