Migrant benefits fraudster who claimed handouts after prison release will be forced to pay them BACK after DWP review

The Daily Mail revealed that the fraudster had returned to her residence in London and registered for Universal Credit after being realised from prison early.

Her husband receives £1,300 monthly in benefits and Todorova had expected to pocket around £200 per month.

"I've been back on benefits since December 30," she said. "I don't have a right to work."

The newspaper's investigation prompted immediate action from authorities.

The Department of Work and Pensions launched a review into Todorova's claims and subsequently confirmed she must repay all the benefits she received.

Yet the convicted fraudster has brazenly declared she will not return a single penny.

Speaking from her rented flat in Erith, southeast London, she said: "Our place in London is rented. We have a two-bedroom house in Bulgaria that the prosecution has valued at £90,000 but they can't touch it."

She explained that the property remains beyond the reach of British authorities because it is jointly owned with her husband, who has no involvement in the criminal case.

"We are married and the house is in both our names. My husband has no connection to the case," she declared.

Todorova boasted that the couple's Bulgarian home is used by the couple to "vacation" in.

The 54-year-old now claims to be suffering from depression and stress, saying: "My husband is depressed. I am depressed as well. I have had high blood pressure because of the case."

She added that she wanted to use her benefits money to fix dental issues that were leaving her in pain.

Her complaints stand in stark contrast to her earlier description of jail at HMP Bronzefield as "like a vacation," during which she gloated about having her hair styled and receiving manicures.

Todorova maintains her innocence despite having pleaded guilty to the charges.

"I was only helping. They have made a mistake with me," she insisted.

Currently on immigration bail, she expressed confidence about remaining in Britain, declaring: "They cannot push me. They cannot force me."

Todorova was one of five conspirators who systematically plundered the welfare system over four-and-a-half years through thousands of fraudulent Universal Credit applications.

The gang stole 6,000 identities and even exploited the names of Bulgarian children abroad to bolster their claims.

Three so-called "benefit factories" were established across the capital, producing fake tenancy agreements, counterfeit payslips, and forged correspondence purportedly from landlords, employers, and medical practitioners.

The scheme unravelled only after a Bulgarian police officer alerted British officials to criminals in the city of Sliven who had suddenly acquired substantial wealth.

Authorities have managed to recover approximately £1million and are pursuing a further £1million from the gang.

Prosecutor Gareth Munday noted these figures represent what officials could "realistically trace," with one gang member admitting to moving cash overseas.

A Government spokesman nsaid: "We cannot comment on individual claims. When someone is convicted of benefit fraud, a loss of benefit is applied to any future claims."