Covid fraud: how bounce back loans paid for cars, watches and even porn
by Jasper Jolly and Kalyeena Makortoff from World news | The Guardian on (#601B8)
As details emerge, concerns grow about Treasury's efforts to recover almost 5bn wrongly claimed
When Keith Hamblett, a fruit and vegetable seller from Tyne and Wear, asked his bank for a government-backed loan in the autumn of 2020, the economy was still in trouble after lockdowns, and coronavirus cases were rising.
The Covid bounce back loan scheme was a welcome relief for many smaller companies, and Hamblett received 28,000.
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