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A benefit fraudster treated herself to exotic holidays and then posted pictures of the trips on Facebook - while falsely claiming handouts worth £37,000.
Andrea Raftis, 24, claimed she was a single mother, living alone with children, aged three and four and fraudulently claiming thousands in income support, housing and council tax benefits from Sutton Council.
In fact she was living in Sutton with her husband Fawad Rahimi, who ran a takeaway and owned two other properties.
The court heard how Raftis submitted a false tenancy agreement, altered to show a rent of £975 when the correct rent was £875 a month, and claimed she had no income other than her benefits.
But her husband received income from his pizza business, as well as the two other properties he owns in the borough.
At Croydon Crown Court, Raftis pleaded guilty to two charges of benefit fraud, dating back to 2007.
On April 13 at the court she was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years.
She was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
In her defence, her solicitor said Mr Rahimi was an unsupportive husband and a forceful character who orchestrated the fraud.
The judge said taxpayers' money had been 'spirited away' and, although young at the time, Raftis knew exactly what she was doing when she got involved in the systematic fraud.
Raftis, now of New Malden, will be forced to pay back the money she stole and the judge warned the couple face losing one of their properties under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Councillor John Drage, executive member for finance and efficiency at Sutton Council, said: 'The council takes a zero tolerance approach to those who go out of their way to steal from tax payers in this way.
'Seeing these photographs of her enjoying flash holidays at the expense of our residents makes her crime even harder to stomach.'
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