Terrified of Benefit Fraud

Sambu

I'm looking for any comments and advice!

In May 2009 I was diagnosed with 3b Cervical Cancer and DVT in my leg. I claimed and was awarded Housing and Council tax benefit, income support and disability living allowance. In september 2010 I had finished treatment and decided to go back to work and studying. I contacted HB and they stopped my benefits immediately. i also contacted DWP and requested they did the same. After being passed from department to department I eventually thought this was done. I received a form from them about returning to work which I filled out and returned thinking this was the end of the matter. I have since moved house so obviously received no further letters from them However in the last week they have tried contacting me at my parents house (this is not where i lived when claiming so unsure why they have this phone number) stating they want to arrange a home visit. This confused and alarmed me slightly so on my mums advice I contacted my bank and it turns out they have still been paying me for the last 17 months with no contact from me (and no sick lines which I had previously had to submitt every month!) I genuinly didnt realise, I know this seems unbelievable but my bank statements go to my parents address where they accumulate before going in the bin unopened, I have student loan going into the bank as well as cash my partner gives for his share of the bills as we now live together and am paid in cash from my work so finances are a bit all over the place. I dont know how I've managed it but of an overpayment of what i estimate to be around £16000 i only have £3000. I am terrified I will be prosecuted for fraud. i am more than willing to pay this back, starting with the £3000 that is in my account as i never intended to spend money that wasnt mine but will they let me and how can they continue to pay benefits to someone with no contact for 17 months, no sick lines etc. I havent contacted them yet as i am scared I'll say something wrong or make things worse. Its so scary, I've never been in trouble and just want it sorted.

welshmoneylover

Sambu wrote: »

I'm looking for any comments and advice!

In May 2009 I was diagnosed with 3b Cervical Cancer and DVT in my leg. I claimed and was awarded Housing and Council tax benefit, income support and disability living allowance. In september 2010 I had finished treatment and decided to go back to work and studying. I contacted HB and they stopped my benefits immediately. i also contacted DWP and requested they did the same. After being passed from department to department I eventually thought this was done. I received a form from them about returning to work which I filled out and returned thinking this was the end of the matter. I have since moved house so obviously received no further letters from them However in the last week they have tried contacting me at my parents house (this is not where i lived when claiming so unsure why they have this phone number) stating they want to arrange a home visit. This confused and alarmed me slightly so on my mums advice I contacted my bank and it turns out they have still been paying me for the last 17 months with no contact from me (and no sick lines which I had previously had to submitt every month!) I genuinly didnt realise, I know this seems unbelievable but my bank statements go to my parents address where they accumulate before going in the bin unopened, I have student loan going into the bank as well as cash my partner gives for his share of the bills as we now live together and am paid in cash from my work so finances are a bit all over the place. I dont know how I've managed it but of an overpayment of what i estimate to be around £16000 i only have £3000. I am terrified I will be prosecuted for fraud. i am more than willing to pay this back, starting with the £3000 that is in my account as i never intended to spend money that wasnt mine but will they let me and how can they continue to pay benefits to someone with no contact for 17 months, no sick lines etc. I havent contacted them yet as i am scared I'll say something wrong or make things worse. Its so scary, I've never been in trouble and just want it sorted.

Do you expect someone to believe you have been having your statements sent to your parents house and they've been discarded without being opened for a long length of time?

FBaby

£16k in 17 months that's almost £1k a month that it's a lot of money not to be aware of.... I think anyone earning £100k or less would notice immediately such a large discrepancy. I don't expect the benefit office will buy this as an excuse. you are better contacting them asap and coming clean.

Mara69

I really don't swallow the 'I didn't know I was being overpaid' line either. i don't believe your bak statements were unopened for that long and I certainly don't beleive you never noticed an additonal £1k a month. You want to get it sorted? Then you need to contact the DWP, be honest and take it from there. You'll obviously have to pay the money back. Don't know if there will be further punishment. Hope so though.

paddedjohn

OP, I can actually believe the statement thing because quite often I don't bother with mine, but to expect us to believe that you didnt notice extra income of £1000 per month is really taking the biscuit. Get on the phone quick and fess up.

no-oneknowsme

Just my opinion - which pretty much mirrors what the others have been saying....but no-one could have such a large amount of extra money going into their account for so long without noticing it!

OP , are you saying that in the past few years you have never ONCE checked your balance at an atm machine?

treeboa

a thou a year then ok you may not realise it, a month though ??

joandkaz1

come off it...youve spent 13k without realising?

Darlyd

I never checked my bank statements, they just went in to the bin on both my accounts. I ended up going paper free with one and not bothering with the other because I never used it.

Was not until I let my Niece use my other one when she rung me up to say I had a few hundred in there, of course I forgot my online details so rung them up and then they told me where it was from and when it was paid in. So it can happen.

BUT having an extra 1k a mnth and not realising? Hmmmm

marleyboy

OP, if as you say, you informed them of a change in circumstances then you can prove this to them. I find it difficult to believe you not only had been overpaid for so long without noticing, but somehow managed to spend a large amount of this overpayment without noticing, but for the benefit of the doubt will overlook it.

You state you had informed them, so therefore you can prove such which should cover you of fraud. So lets say its an overpayment due to a clerical error, this is NOT a criminal offence and so long as you agree to pay it back and pay it, you should be ok.

If it is fraudulent and they can prove you knowingly defrauded them of monies, your in it deep. They will have no problem in proving fraud if it is the case, just as you will have no problem in proving you informed them of the facts and NEVER defrauded them.

joandkaz1

darlyd wrote: »

I never checked my bank statements, they just went in to the bin on both my accounts. I ended up going paper free with one and not bothering with the other because I never used it.

Was not until I let my Niece use my other one when she rung me up to say I had a few hundred in there, of course I forgot my online details so rung them up and then they told me where it was from and when it was paid in. So it can happen.

BUT having an extra 1k a mnth and not realising? Hmmmm

they use the account regularly though