A London bookkeeper who pretended to be a qualified accountant has been jailed after her attempt to steal £119,898 through fraudulent VAT repayments failed when HMRC became suspicious
Valentina Bufalo, set up her company, The Alternative Number Cruncher Ltd, in April 2013, claiming to provide accountancy services from her home address in Battersea. She submitted fake invoices and banking documents in a bid to reclaim VAT, but was caught out by HMRC before any money was paid.
Bufalo was arrested in March 2014 by HMRC investigators and pleaded guilty to fraud in October 2015.
She also pleaded guilty to 18 theft offences in May 2016 at Southwark Crown Court, linked to an investigation by the Metropolitan Police. Bufalo has now been sentenced for all the offences to four years imprisonment at the same court.
