Sarah Broadbelt changed her name by deed poll to Marion Patterson, the same name as the real owner of the house in Quinton, near Birmingham, the Birmingham Mail reported.
Broadbelt went on to acquire two passports in the false identity and three bank accounts — two at Halifax and one at Barclays.
The solicitors involved in the sale noticed that she appeared originally to have purchased the property aged six, but she convinced them a trust was in place.
The lawful owner Patterson had bought the property in 1993 and was letting it out having moved to Cornwall to get married. Patterson had been warned by Birmingham City Council that the house was being used by tenants to commit benefit fraud.
She put it on the market nevertheless, then received a phonecall from an estate agent in February 2016 explaining the house had been sold in October 2015.
Broadbelt was believed to have fronted the fraud for a wider group of scammers and may have been chosen because a woman was needed to fit the identity.
The property has been restored to Patterson and the person who bought it has been reimbursed.
