Interview Under Caution Re Alleged Benefit Fraud..

seven-day-weekend

AFAIK it does state in black and white on the forms that you have to declare any bank accounts and also any money you have, even in cash. It is difficult to see how this could be misunderstood. Certainly on the forms my son had when he was unemployed it asked this. There really was no way of misunderstanding the question.

I'm not saying by this that the OP has deliberately committed fraud, maybe they felt, like many do, that for some reason the questions did not refer to the monies that they had. However, I think it might be difficult to come up with any scenario whereby it was deemed to be an accidental oversight.

I think it might be worthwhile to 'fess up, come clean, explain the misunderstanding and offer to repay any overpayment (in affordable instalments).

EDITED TO ADD: Question 16 of the Jobseekers' Allowance Claim Form specifically asks if you have received any redundancy money and if so, how much. If this was the form that the OP filled out, it is difficult to see how any case could be made for misunderstanding.

http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Forms/Documents/UP1.pdf

I still think it is best to come clean and offer to repay.

rogerblack

teddyboy02 wrote: »

As for Deprivation of monies basically spending for sake o spending to get more benefits this was not the case for any of my paid creditors as at least 3 x creditors would have if not paid sanction the courts for retrieval. This would possibly have included family members who had helped me out financially on the understanding said loans would be paid asap when redundancy was received.(not in writing)

As others have said, current levels of debt are irrelevant.
Capital is not total money - debts.
It's total money - immediately demanded money.

Was this the total amount of cash you had - any in other accounts?

It may be useful if you can get letters from the involved relatives, and any other creditors you paid off, stating that the money loaned was only loaned on the understanding it would be immediately repayable on receipt of the redundancy.

In addition, repayment of some loans with very high interest charges has been ruled as allowable.