Would you go to prison for hiding savings?

Anubis_2

Jennifer555 wrote: »

Thanks Caz3121,
The only problem is that i had more in another account that I have already told them about and they are "investigating". And this is another few thousand. It was so easy for me to save money as I stress I just didn't spend hardly any. Didn't even do it consciously.
Such a mess and is making me feel like s***. The man on the phone is so hard to talk to, a bit robotic. Benefit fraud is such a triggering label, I honestly never thought that was what I was doing. Just trying to be sensible due to the inconsistent nature of my work.
I don't want to go to prison or have a criminal record.

The few thousand you have in your other account - would your total amount of money in every bank account take you over £16 thousand?

If so, that amount completely rules out amy means tested benefits so you will have the lot to pay back.

Jennifer555

Muttleythefrog wrote: »

The likelihood of prison is something probably only those with experience of sentencing in this specific area would be able to advise on. As an outsider I would think prison unlikely but possible. This can't be doing your anxiety any good... it may be worth coming clean... giving full details of the undeclared savings over the time of your claiming... when you do that then you'll probably be able to calculate overpayments you've received... and therefore be in a position to determine the plausibility of repaying monies owed. You may be best advised to take legal advice from someone qualified in this area of law... this could possibly be resolved without any courts.

Thanks Muttleythefrog. I am going to look for someone who could help me out with all this as its all got too confusing and no, definitely not doing my anxiety or depression any good at all. I guess CAB is the next step.

Muttleythefrog

Jennifer555 wrote: »

Thanks Caz3121,
The only problem is that i had more in another account that I have already told them about and they are "investigating". And this is another few thousand. It was so easy for me to save money as I stress I just didn't spend hardly any. Didn't even do it consciously.
Such a mess and is making me feel like s***. The man on the phone is so hard to talk to, a bit robotic. Benefit fraud is such a triggering label, I honestly never thought that was what I was doing. Just trying to be sensible due to the inconsistent nature of my work.
I don't want to go to prison or have a criminal record.

I think you need to take some legal advice to be honest... this situation seems worse than initially presented in financial terms. It goes without saying that while I understand your thinking... and struggle to spend money myself for similar reason... the idea that you unconsciously saved money and failed to declare savings will have no credibility at all. As they're already investigating these matters now is probably the time to come clean and get legal advice and try to minimalise the legal process.

Jennifer555

Anubis wrote: »

The few thousand you have in your other account - would your total amount of money in every bank account take you over £16 thousand?

If so, that amount completely rules out amy means tested benefits so you will have the lot to pay back.

Probably it would go over 16,000 for some of the time but definitely not for whole time I have had the savings. I don't care about paying it back - well I do a bit as it would be a shame to not be able to have my ISA pension based on a technicality and end up with no money. It is more the prison criminal record thing I'm worried about.

duchy

Prison or not you'd still have a criminal record for fraud. However you dress it up you have committed fraud. If you are prosecuted there's a good chance you'll be in the local paper too.
You don't get to decide which laws apply to you and which ones don't and expect others to pay your benefits. After all I don't tell the taxman I won't pay X proportion of tax as I don't believe I should be funding other people's housing benefits. I have to pay and so do you.

You're a benefit cheat stealing from decent working people....and you still don't get it and are twittering on about your "pension". It's NOT a pension it's savings. You *do* realize as well as having to pay back the fraudulently claimed benefits there will likely be a big fine as well as the embarassment of having your criminal record in the papers ?

I know I sound harsh but you really do need to realize exactly how serious this is and take proper advice.

jayk

Hi

The stress of all this will only ge worse yu do need to take legal advice and come clean with the dept that are already investigating your case. You would have been able to hold onto some savings within the limits as laid down by DWP and HB however it is always best to be straight with them as they will always find you out. Just not worth it. Hope you get good advice and can get it resolved.

xylophone

Didn't even do it consciously.

If you had a few thousand pounds ISA (say under 8000) that you always meant to be a pension but knew the council wouldn't understand or believe that.

You must always have known the rules for means tested benefits?
Do you not have to make some declaration about income and capital?
With regard to the pensions question, a little research on the internet would have brought up information abut a stakeholder pension into which you can stop and start payments?
And your payments into a pension scheme would have kept your capital at a level that enabled means tested benefits to be claimed legally?

Jennifer555

duchy wrote: »

Prison or not you'd still have a criminal record for fraud. However you dress it up you have committed fraud. If you are prosecuted there's a good chance you'll be in the local paper too.
You don't get to decide which laws apply to you and which ones don't and expect others to pay your benefits. After all I don't tell the taxman I won't pay X proportion of tax as I don't believe I should be funding other people's housing benefits. I have to pay and so do you.

You're a benefit cheat stealing from decent working people....and you still don't get it and are twittering on about your "pension". It's NOT a pension it's savings. You *do* realize as well as having to pay back the fraudulently claimed benefits there will likely be a big fine as well as the embarassment of having your criminal record in the papers ?

Duchy, I don't know why but your post actually made me laugh a little bit despite my anguish about all this at the moment.

And no matter who tells me any different, the courts or you, its NOT savings its a pension. I know that and I am not ashamed of it hence my openess. It is just all the trigger around rules/regs and law that made me wonder about telling them about it but if any of them are anything like you I may think twice.

Happychappy

Jennifer555 wrote: »

If you had a few thousand pounds ISA (say under 8000) that you always meant to be a pension but knew the council wouldn't understand or believe that. And if you decided to tell them after 10 years because you were too scared to do it before, would they send you to prison? .

Hopefully YES

Jennifer555

xylophone wrote: »

You must always have known the rules for means tested benefits?
Do you not have to make some declaration about income and capital?
With regard to the pensions question, a little research on the internet would have brought up information abut a stakeholder pension into which you can stop and start payments?
And your payments into a pension scheme would have kept your capital at a level that enabled means tested benefits to be claimed legally?

Yes I know about stakeholders. And with £7000 I would get something like £200 a year with an annuity? I have no intention of putting more money into my pension while I am on HB.