Authorities have charged a 61-year-old woman with impersonating at least 14 individuals while taking British citizenship tests.
The Home Office reported that the woman, whose name has not been released, employed various wigs and disguises to mimic both male and female applicants.
“Such fraudulent activities result in individuals wrongly obtaining the right to stay, jeopardizing public safety,” the agency stated on social media.
Law enforcement confiscated numerous false documents and the wigs used in the scheme during her apprehension.
Authorities believe the woman conducted this operation at multiple testing sites across the U.K. between June 2022 and August 2023.
Immigration enforcement inspector Phillip Parr, as reported by Sky News, stated that a “thorough investigation” had successfully “halted this dangerous operation.”
“This individual is suspected of having planned this scheme carefully, choosing disguises and test locations strategically across the country to evade detection,” he explained to the news outlet.
The citizenship test, a prerequisite for indefinite leave to remain or British citizenship, involves answering 24 questions designed to assess the applicant’s knowledge of British values, history, and society, according to the BBC.