Help needed, friend caught by fraud investigators

wendiewoo

Honestly, yes, its not me...My dad has a girlfriend who claims income support and has custody of her grandson. Now they spend time at each others houses, she is in a council house; he has a property owned outright. I assume they both also claim single occupancy council tax in their homes. They have been visited by investigators as someone has reported them as living together.
Any ideas what happens now?
Will they look into it before they decide to prosecute, or will they automatically go to court?
How will it affect my dad? He works full time never claimed a benefit in his life, never been in debt and honestly doesn’t know how the system works.
He does sleep more at hers than at his and they have been watched by the investigators.
My dad is worried sick he knows now what he has done is wrong but he didn’t know at the time and I wasn’t aware she was on benefits. They have stopped her money will she still get child benefit or does it all stop, will they stop her rent, WILL SHE HAVE TO MOVE IN AND MARRY HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!! That’s a whole kettle of worms I don’t want!!!

AGB863

Child benefit will not stop, but her income support and possibly HB and CTB. Your father may not be involved in this as she is the one being investigated as she has made the claim as a "single parent". They onus will be one your fathers girlfriend to proove that they are not living togethor as a couple, but if your father keeps a lot of clothes there, stays there for a good part of the week and if he contributes to any of the household running costs it will be assumed that they are a couple and a such she could be charged with making a claim that she is not entiltled to.

black-saturn

I have a boyfriend who lives 130 miles away so stays here now and again. Someone shopped me to the DSS for having a man living here. The DSS then sat in a van outside my house for a week watching to see who was going in and out and only saw me and my children going in and out of the house. Then they called me in and questionned me about it (even though they hadn't seen any evidence of a man living there). So I told them that I had a boyfriend who occasionally stays the night. They said that it was OK as long as he didn't stay more than 2 nights a week, only had enough of his own belongings with him for 2 nights, didn't contribute towards bills and food and didnt have post delivered there. He doesnt do any of those so I was OK.

The only way to solve it with your dad is in future not sleeping at each others houses for more than 2 nights a week or moving in together.

wendiewoo

thanks for help much appreciated.

black-saturn

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