Under investigation for fraud!!!

celticfc

charles_w wrote:

PM me with your email address and if you have any outstanding queries. I'll try to get back to you with a response later tonight.

The most up to date Home Office circular on cautioning can be found at...

http://www.knowledgenetwork.gov.uk/ho/circular.nsf/79755433dd36a66980256d4f004d1514/d820bbad9e5edd8680257013004d1ccf?OpenDocument

Thanks Charles. I was searching for that but all I found were home office pages with titles of circulars but no actual information. PM on it's way.

[Deleted User]

celticfc,

How did you get on ?

dblue75

i work for the DWP . We would not get you in for a recorded interview and caution for an overpayment of benefit . The only and i stress only reason we would get you in under those circumstances is i we have substancial evidence of Fraud , be it working or something else ??? we would have photographs , video etc......... Hope everything goes well . You can take a solicitor , but why ??? if you're innocent .

Turning_into_scrooge

dblue75 wrote:

i work for the DWP . We would not get you in for a recorded interview and caution for an overpayment of benefit . The only and i stress only reason we would get you in under those circumstances is i we have substancial evidence of Fraud , be it working or something else ??? we would have photographs , video etc......... Hope everything goes well . You can take a solicitor , but why ??? if you're innocent .

Maybe but it has already been proven that some benefit offices pull people in just to meet targets. One poster on here was groomed by them and proved it. I'm sorry to sound so cynical but my faith in DWP is paractically at zero:)

blaster99999

DWP wanted to pull my wife in for interview for a over payment 7 years ago and now want us to prove she didnt work by providing proof of bank statments, i thought it was down to DWP to prove you are gulity not us prove where inocent?

on_the_up_6

I can't believe this council, thats terrible.

When i used to work in the fraud team we used to get a lot of matches when incap had increased and the amount was low. We just used to send them back to be reassessed.

To make it worse Incap increases at set time, they knew you were on Incap and they should have diaried the claim to action the increase.

A quick note

"one case the investigator had not cautioned the customer before carrying out an interview in connection with an allegation of undeclared income. A potential prosecution involving £10,700 was lost"

This is not the same a the formal caution you have been offered. it refers to the PACE Caution (You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence......) thats given at the beginning of the interview. If you have grounds to suspect that an offence has taken place and you wish to ask questions around that offence then the caution must be given, if its not none of the answers a person gives are admissable in court as they were not made aware of their most basic legal rights. This is a real basic that I had drummed into me from day one, for an investigator to go ahead and interview without this is a sure sign of seriously bad practice.

The Formal Caution is basically an admission that you were aware you have committed an offence. Its similar to a police caution but is only held on record by the DWP, so its not a criminal record. However this does not mean you should accept it if you have not done anything wrong.

I'm sure a judge would be really impressed at the immense costs involved at bringing you to court for £23. If you set up a false tenency etc and falsified loads of docs then yes but Incap increasing? This council counds like a bunch of desperate muppets who seriously need some proper training.

on_the_up_6

blaster99999 wrote:

DWP wanted to pull my wife in for interview for a over payment 7 years ago and now want us to prove she didnt work by providing proof of bank statments, i thought it was down to DWP to prove you are gulity not us prove where inocent?

Yes this is exactly right, they have to prove you guilty not the other way round. They are trying it I think as most banks only keep statement records for 6 years.

Contact CAB or Welfare Rights for advice a.s.a.p.

Gareth56

Isn't it strange that when John Prescott "forgot" to pay his council tax on one of his houses nothing punitive happened to him!!

me1_3

hiya i got a letter saying I had to attend an interview under caution for council tax fraud. They reckon they have believe that my EXXX husband has been livving with me for sometime, We divorced 9 years ago and for many years didnt have any contact but after the bitterness went and he had many mental breakdowns and attempted suicides we became close friends. A couple of years ago we did attempt a reconcilliation and applied to move house jointly he was going to give his flat up and I was going to give my house up. He then had another very serious breakdown when I had second thoughts and through his therapist I started to understand that his dependancy was needing to be part of a familly not a couple. Which is exactly what I have given him he comes to see his children every day and we are a familly. He is however not exactly normal if he feels the familly situation is threatened he does strange things like sleeping in my car outside the house or pitching a tent on the shed roof, I know most people would say call the police but he's harmless and the kids worship him. I have been reported many times to IS and have attended interviews and always explained, and that has been it. Just before I moved to this house (which was an emergency move) due to harrasement from neighbours my house was broken into, daughter threatened with a knife etc. He was spending alot of time at mine the police suggested a male pressence could keep the harrasement down. But he did not sleep at mine he slept at my mums which was just opposite. Or in his fully functional campervan outside my house which the neighbours complained about. So I got a lettter from the council saying he wasn't allowed to sleep in his van outside my house. I did not confirm or deny to the neighbours about our status as I don't see the need to broadcast my life and how do you explain his behaviour I am ashamed that my childrens father is mentaly ill. So I allowed people to think what they wanted. My close friends know the situation and my best friend is actually seeing my ex. She cares despite his problems. Im 9 weeks pregnant to my present boyfriend who lives some way from me. My ex hubby had a vaesectomy 8 years ago so at least they cant blame that on him. I really am stressing because things seem to be seen as black and white and no grey. He does come to mine most days, I do give him a lift to work as he got banned from driving but surely if they've been watching properly they would see him coming and leaving. I also have my mum here as much so why am I not accused of livving with her. Can men and women not just be friends.

Fran

Yes it is difficult because everyone's situation is slightly different.

You could contact Citizens Advice, they might be able to attend the interview with you depending on how your bureau operates or at least they could give you free advice about the interview etc.