A fraudster has been fined for claiming more than £7,500 in benefits.

Natalie O’Garro, 42, of Cuckoo Hall Lane, Edmonton admitted failing to notify Enfield Borough Council of a change in her circumstances.

She was fined £265 and ordered to pay costs of £400 and a victim surcharge of £260.

O’Garro initially claimed housing benefit and council tax benefit from the local authority in April 2009.

In August 2009 she wrote a letter to the council declaring that she had started unpaid volunteer work at North Middlesex Hospital.

She then reported that she had started work earning £13,322 per annum, and then in November 2009 provided a payslip which showed she had received £828.60 in gross pay.

But suspicion fell on Ms O’Garro after fraud investigators were told she had received an increase in her earnings.

In April 2012, it was revealed that her gross pay had increased from £901.40 per month to £1,523 per month.

Councillor Andrew Stafford, Enfield Council’s cabinet member for finance, said: “This is simple greed from someone who was arrogant enough to believe she could get away with claiming benefits she wasn’t entitled to. 

“It is a classic example of someone believing that when their circumstances change, usually when they start earning more than they originally stated on their claim forms, they can keep quiet about it and we will not find out. 

“They then carry on receiving benefits while earning more, and they hope authorities will not find out. We will find out, and make no mistake this is benefit fraud. All changes in circumstances must be reported as soon as they occur, or like Ms O’Garro you will be tracked down and prosecuted.”