THE value of frauds in the North-West has more than tripled over the last year - from £38.5million in 2017 to £131m in 2018.

The number of cases reaching the region's courts rose from 29 to 57 over the same period.

The figures come from accountancy giant KPMG’s latest fraud barometer.

Cases to reach the courts during this period include Burnley woman being handed a 20-month suspended sentence after defrauding the UK taxpayer out of £105,000 over five years for fraudulently caught claiming tax credits and tax benefits fraudulently.

In a second case Burnley Crown Court handed a motor dealer a suspended sentence for doctoring the mileage readings on his cars for sales.

It heard that millions of miles had been knocked off of odometers. The dealer was ordered to repay £187,000 to customers who had been misled.

Damien Margetson, head of forensic at KPMG in the North-West, said: "A considerable proportion of activity going through local courts concerned fraudsters targeting HMRC and evading duties and tax responsibilities for their own gain.

“As cases get more complex and daring, but also more frequent, it is little surprise that there was such a diverse range of fraud activity happening in the North West, from benefit cheating to embezzlement and identity theft.”