Jobcentre - Customer Compliance Officer

sublime_envy

Recieved a letter today from the job centre:

We need to see you to discuss a query that has arisen concerning your claim to benefit. It is essential that you attend this interview. If you do not, it may affect your claim to benefit.

It then goes on to say...

Things I will need to see:

Proof of identification, such as: passport, driving license, utility bill, rent agreement, bank statement etc bearing your name and address.

What does this mean? No one knows I'm claiming benefit, so I cant see it being a case of someone reporting me. I only just started my claim(Income Support) last month and have only received one payment. My husband and I are separated, he is living apart and I am in a house under his name but have informed the job centre that I am currently looking for another residence for myself and my daughter. Until then, rent is in his name and paid for by his work and I have told them all this. We are also under professional counselling, which the job centre also know and he does spend some time at my home to see our daughter.

The only thing I can think is that I have only just set up my own bank account (first payment went into joint account) but should have the new bank details by the end of next week to pass on to the Job Centre. I don't know if they can look into accounts, but ex would have been using it too and I did advise the JC that this was the case.

I tried ringing the number, but the woman I spoke to said she just 'handed out the letters and had nothing to do with it'. Despite on the letter it stated she was a Compliance Officer and she was the woman I have the meeting with! She was pretty rude and abrupt on the phone too.

mark1991

Hi,
I received a similar letter shortly after I made a new claim last year.
In my case they wanted to let me know about the CSA and to check if I was receiving any payments for my son, which I was.
The interview lasted about 3 minutes.

Hope that helps.

tcr_3

New claims to Income Support are routinely checked out by the Compliance office where a "recent separation" has been the trigger for claiming benefit. I don't think it's anything sinister, from what you say.

But you'll need to tell them you're looking for a new home and are setting up a new bank account ... and that any time he visits it's purely to see your child.

The officer you spoke to was a bit snippy ? They'd probably just had an earful down the phone, or been spat on/sworn at, nothing major.