Possible ESA fraud?

Werdnal

Not sure where to post this so here goes.

I have an neighbour in his late 80's who has recently had a long stay in hospital and been sent home with daily carers. He lives alone, has no near family and we keep and eye on him too. I have seen some of the carers they send, and most seem very friendly and speak over the fence on their way in, but I have been struck on how young some of them are - perhaps I am getting old myself! He says they are all lovely though, so thats all that matters ...

Our neighbour caught my hubby leaving for work this morning and beckoned him over. He had some post delivered yesterday, and amongst it was a thick brown envelope addressed to a Miss XXXXX. Neighbour has no idea, we have lived here over 20 years and never heard of her, as as we are very much "out in the sticks" it is strange to have mis-addressed/mis-delivered mail. The address was not even ambiguous, it was spot on!

Hubby brought it in for me to sort out. I told neighbour not to worry about it, its obviously a mistake and I will return to sender (in Belfast). I know the return address - its a government office, so I wondered if it was something to do with neighbour's attendance allowance. I was boiling the kettle anyway and the envelope was only lightly sealed in the middle, so I opened it (I know I may be slated for this, but didn't want to send it back if it was actually something relevant to neighbour with wrong name on it!). It contains an ESA application form in Miss XXXXX's name?????

I have re-sealed and written return to sender, but just struck me I wonder if someone (one of his carers perhaps) is on the make here? Would it be possible for them to apply for benefits through his address, or is my imagination working too hard here. Of course, it is not unknown for DWP to make mistakes either, so may be their error. I will just chuck it back in the post when I'm out later, but will tell neighbour to make me aware of any more correspondence with her name on it.

Any suggestions please?

zzzLazyDaisy

Werdnal wrote: »

Would it be possible for them to apply for benefits through his address, or is my imagination working too hard here. Of course, it is not unknown for DWP to make mistakes either, so may be their error. I will just chuck it back in the post when I'm out later, but will tell neighbour to make me aware of any more correspondence with her name on it.

Any suggestions please?

Yes it is possible. The only reason I know is that several years ago I had a lodger. Some time after she left I started getting DWP envelopes for her. She contacted me and asked me if I had received any mail for her, and I passed the first two onto her. I asked her to change her address with DWP (thinking she had applied while still at mine, but there had been a long delay in DWP responding). The third letter I returned to sender in a separate envelope with a note giving the dates she had lived at my address, and asking them not to send any more mail to my address.

The upshot was that she got investigated, and sent a series of maniac texts blaming me for getting her money stopped. I have no idea why she couldn't claim from the address she was living at, or what the scam was, but there is no doubt that there was something very fishy going on.

But of course there is no point in claiming at someone else's address unless you are in a position to collect the post from that address. So presumably if something underhand is going on, someone will eventually have to ask if any mail has come for them (and explain why that would be) so in your neighbour's case this scenario is probably less likely.

andygb

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

Yes it is possible. The only reason I know is that several years ago I had a lodger. Some time after she left I started getting DWP envelopes for her. She contacted me and asked me if I had received any mail for her, and I passed the first two onto her. I asked her to change her address with DWP (thinking she had applied while still at mine, but there had been a long delay in DWP responding). The third letter I returned to sender in a separate envelope with a note giving the dates she had lived at my address, and asking them not to send any more mail to my address.

The upshot was that she got investigated, and sent a series of maniac texts blaming me for getting her money stopped. I have no idea why she couldn't claim from the address she was living at, or what the scam was, but there is no doubt that there was something very fishy going on.

But of course there is no point in claiming at someone else's address unless you are in a position to collect the post from that address. So presumably if something underhand is going on, someone will eventually have to ask if any mail has come for them (and explain why that would be) so in your neighbour's case this scenario is probably less likely.

I am so glad you posted that, because it IS happeming to us.
About eight years ago we let a relation stay with us for a couple of weeks, whilst they got themselves settled.
Afterwards the relation became very grumpy with us, not at all appreciative of the help we had given them, so we were rightly hacked off about it.
Then the envelopes started arriving from the DWP and debt collection agencies, and the haven't stopped since, despite me contacting the relevant senders (I suspected fraud and didn't want to be caught up in it!!!
The relative, unknown to us, had given everyone chasing him our address, thinking that we wouldn't say anything - how deluded can you get?:rotfl:

Werdnal

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

But of course there is no point in claiming at someone else's address unless you are in a position to collect the post from that address. So presumably if something underhand is going on, someone will eventually have to ask if any mail has come for them (and explain why that would be) so in your neighbour's case this scenario is probably less likely.

Thanks for replies.

If just as an example it is one of his carers, she has regular contact with the property and his post is delivered to a box on the gate, so she could get his key and say she is going down the drive to pick up his post, then retrieve anything for her.

I take it payments are made direct to bank accounts, so once a claim is running, correspondence would be minimal? She would also have access to documents within his home for address proof etc.

Sorry, my mind may be working overtime, but I've never claimed benefits so not sure how it works. It seems a little odd that this old chap who hardly ever has a visitor, now has daily contact with "strangers" to his address and whilst this may be a co-incidence, sounds little dodgy to me. He probably wouldn't twig as he knows them all by first names, and comes from the generation that don't suspect ill of anyone!

I think I'll just drop this back in the post and hope its a DWP mistake, rather than anything sinister, and tell him to pass on anything else he receives in that name. If he gets another, I'll follow it up!

Poppie68

Maybe contact the carers employer and ask if they have a Missxxxx working for them, if yes let them know this person is using a clients address for personel reasons, there could be implications for your neighbour and any benefits he recieves. Also ask him if he would like you to collect all his mail in future from his post box.

cr1mson

Are any of the carers called the name on the DWP letter?

Werdnal

cr1mson wrote: »

Are any of the carers called the name on the DWP letter?

He doesn't know as they all introduce themselves on 1st name basis.

Not sure who the carers work for as its all contracted out here now. I'll try to make a few enquiries. Don't really want to make my suspicions known to neighbour as he gets a little flustered about things and would rather keep it to myself for now not to worry him. I'll mention the post collection suggestion.

Poppie68

Werdnal wrote: »

He doesn't know as they all introduce themselves on 1st name basis.

Not sure who the carers work for as its all contracted out here now. I'll try to make a few enquiries. Don't really want to make my suspicions known to neighbour as he gets a little flustered about things and would rather keep it to myself for now not to worry him. I'll mention the post collection suggestion.

Do they have a logo on their uniform?

zzzLazyDaisy

Werdnal wrote: »

I think I'll just drop this back in the post and hope its a DWP mistake, rather than anything sinister, and tell him to pass on anything else he receives in that name. If he gets another, I'll follow it up!

Might I suggest that you do what I did:

Pop it in another envelope, and include a note with it.

You don't have to make any accusations, just do a letter in yr neighbours name say he lives on his own and has done so for the last several years which they can check from the electoral roll and that Ms [name] to whom the letter was addressed does not, and never has, lived at that address and is not known to the householder. Therefore please remove this address from your records.

This should ensure that it is brought to the attention of someone who will actually deal with it.

hth

Dx

onetomany

ask to look in his log book all carers should sign and fill in what they have done

nbc

wont you get into trouble for commiting a criminal offence yourself. Tampering with the mail?