Polish woman created business purely for £50k fraud

  • Disciplinary
An employer looking through documents.

Peninsula Team, Peninsula Team

(Last updated )

Jagoda Rubaszko, 37, from Northolt, created a completely false company to claim a £50,000 bounce back loan during the pandemic. She has been given a suspended sentence but faces a six-month curfew.

Rubaszko claimed the business she fabricated had a turnover of £210,000 so it would be entitled to apply for the full loan available from the government, £50,000. The false business she applied for the loan through was never registered on Companies House.

The Polish director claimed to have been contacted by someone named Daniel, informing her that she could apply for the loan, then declare herself bankrupt to get out of repaying the loan. She also claimed to have paid Daniel £17,500 for helping with the application, but bank statements showed this payment was never made.

Can I dismiss someone for fraud?

Get instant, expert answers to your HR questions...

Ask Brainbox
0800 158 2313Speak to an expert 24/7

She applied for the loan on 26 April 2021, and it was approved and deposited into her bank account just two days later. The application stated she had been running the business since 1 March 2020 earning more than enough to claim the full £50,000 but looking closer into the finances investigators found she had never earnt more than £15,100 since 2019.

After the £50,000 was deposited into Rubaszko’s English bank account it was swiftly transferred via 22 transactions to five separate bank accounts in Poland owned by separate individuals.

After declaring herself bankrupt, Rubaszko was subject to a 10-year bankruptcy restrictions undertaking (BRU) on 12 May 2023. This stops her from managing a limited company again until 2033.

Rubaszko was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 21 months, for fraud by misrepresentation at Isleworth Crown Court on 5 June 2025. She has also been fitted with an electronic ankle tag and has to follow a curfew from 7.30pm to 6am for six months, as well as complete 175 hours of unpaid work.

Mark Stephens, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: ‘Jagoda Rubaszko claimed to be a business director, but she had no business at all. She invented a turnover of £210,000 even though her bank accounts showed no business dealings.  

‘She invented a man called Daniel, who she has blamed for her actions, claiming he had told her to apply for the loan, and she believed she’d get away with this by declaring herself bankrupt. 

‘What is definitely real, is that she took money which was meant to help businesses during a difficult period and sent that funding off to the bank accounts of five men in Poland. 

‘As a result, reality has now caught up with her.’

Related articles

  • harassment

    Blog

    Overhearing conversations was sexual harassment

    In the case of Davies v White Dove Garages Ltd, the Employment Tribunal had to consider whether a male employee overhearing conversations of a sexual nature by other male colleagues amounted to sexual harassment.

    Peninsula Logo
    Peninsula Team Peninsula Team
    • Bullying & Harassment
  • Modern Slavery Bill

    Blog

    New report exposes modern slavery in hospitality sector

    A report by the charity Unseen has revealed the prevalence of exploitation in the hospitality sector during the period between January 2024 and June 2025.

    Peninsula Logo
    Peninsula Team
    • Discrimination
  • Accountancy fraud

    Blog

    Council surveyor jailed for £236k employment fraud

    A former council worker has been jailed after being convicted of six counts of fraud as he was working for multiple councils at once earning up to £236k.

    Peninsula Logo
    Peninsula Team
    • Disciplinary

Try Brainbox for free today

When AI meets 40 years of Peninsula expertise... you get instant, expert answers to your HR and health & safety questions

Ask a question now
0800 158 2313Speak to an expert 24/7