Defrauding firms closed after claiming £230,000 in Covid grants

Defrauding firms closed after claiming £230,000 in Covid grants
Two companies that fraudulently claimed Covid-19 grants from 41 local authorities have been wound up by the High Court.
LV Distributions Ltd, of Redhill, Surrey, and SIO Traders Ltd, of Whitchurch, Shropshire, received £230,000 worth of business support grants.
They falsified lease documents and utility bills when applying for funds. The companies claimed to be providers of PPE and other medical supplies, although neither had ever traded.
“The lengths that fraudsters went to as they tried to falsely claim grants surprised even our most experienced staff, but by using national counter fraud networks, concerns could be raised quickly and trends and patterns were shared with other authorities,” deputy leader of Wiltshire Council Laura Mayes told Public Finance magazine.
SIO Traders secured £95,000 of business grants from 10 councils, after applying to 14, as well as a £50,000 Bounce Back Loan it was not entitled to. LV Distributions received £35,000 of grants from two authorities, after applying to 27, as well as a £50,000 Bounce Back Loan.
Both companies were wound up in the High Court after separate hearings on 27 July 2021.