HELP!! Tax issues since 2006!

cs1986_2

Hi everybody, signed up because I am at my wits end now and Im not sure what to do to be honest. Sorry if this is in the wrong forum, but here is the story:

Around 2006, I started getting letters from the tax office where my details were all correct except for the name. It had me as having a middle initial (I have no middle name). Ringing them up to rectify this was tricky as when they ask for your full name, I couldnt provide the middle name they had and so I failed security questions. Around the same time I got a letter about my application for working tax credits or child benefits (I cant remember off the top of my head). This had me down but had my middle name in full rather than an initial. I rang the benefits office and told them that I was a full time student, had never claimed benefits and that I dont even have a child. I also rang the tax office armed with my new middle name answered the security questions and then got them to fix my name.

Since then I have recieved letters about tax underpaid and when receiving my employment history they had me down as working at places I had never worked (such as Asda for example). They had me as working for a company in Birmingham even though I dont live within 100 miles of Birmingham and I was a full time student. Yet they didnt think this odd.
My P60 at the end of the year would be correct, but a couple of years after I would have a letter saying I had underpaid tax and worked jobs I had never heard of but they never appeared at the time on my P60.

I have had problems like this for years now and it has recently all started again....

Asda is back on my employment history and apparantly I owe tax from 4 years ago. They want me to send a letter with copies of my p45s and p60s for the second time to fix this.

I received a letter from Dpt of Work and Pensions requesting I attend a medical in relation to my benefit claim. I rang them to say I wont be attending a medical because I have made no claim. The middle name had also returned but all the other details (including NI number) were correct.

I got a letter off Job Centre Plus about my claim for Employment and Support allowance. I have never applied for this. I rang them and rang their benefit fraud line and reported this and told them the whole story. This came from Wolverhampton BC, Jobcentre Plus....I live over 100 miles away...dont they think its odd?

Last week I received a letter about my application for Carer's allowance and that I have been accepted and entitled to £58 per week. Wow, that was an easy application, I havent even applied! The letter states that I have been paid Employment and Support allowance...I have rang them up and told them that all this is wrong and that although my information is correct, I have never made this application or applied for any or recived any benefits in my life.

So...What i dont understand is...

If this is fraud, hes pretty bad at it because I am getting all his letters and canceling all the applications.

If this is a genuine mistake, why isnt this other guy finding it bizarre that he isnt getting letters about his benefits?

Why cant HMRC do their jobs properly? Are they THAT understaffed? I have been contacting them since 2006 by phone and by writing yet the same thing happens over and over again.

I really dont know what else to do. I have reported it to the Benefit Fraud people, Ive reported it to Action Fraud, I have rang the National Insurance people, the tax office, the Job Centre, the department of work and pensions yet nothing has changed. I have seriously been considering writing to National Newspapers about this to give HMRC a kick up the backside because its been 7 years and I am still in the same position.

What I do have is this....On the child benefit application it had the guys partners name. The Job Centre also had a contact number which was no number of mine, they gave it to me and I gave it to benefit fraud. A google search of the number took me to a Gumtree advert in....Birmingham! An online Census/Electoral roll search of the names threw up an address in Birmingham!

Sorry for the rant but this is just a real headache now and obviously Im worried that it could cause me financial issue in the future. Just FYI, I ran a credit check with experian and its all as it should be, nothing dodgy there.

MidnightHour

Sounds like someone is using your NI number, might be innocent mistake, might not be.

Contact hmrc.gov.uk

Jobseeeker

what might have happenned is that this other guy (with same name but dif middle name) has lost his national insurance card, phoned up to get his number and was given yours by mistake. Maybe been using ever since?

Did you ever try phoning him on that contact number?

cs1986_2

Jobseeeker - I never thought of that! That could be whats happened I guess. I havent rang the number I have because I reported it to benefit fraud so I didnt want to compromise anything if it is fraud. I wouldnt know what to say to him I dont think haha.

blondebubbles - Yes I contacted them all seperately, some on more than one occasion

cs1986_2

blondebubbles wrote: »

As much as you say he's bad at it for giving your address, he will get some money before youre cancelling it and no one can chase him for any overpayments because he isnt giving the correct address. He can then just keep applying and getting paid until you cancel it again.

Or it could just be genuine. Some people have very similar NI numbers and even getting one digit wrong can cause all sorts of problems. However I really dont think thats the case because these are pretty easy to fix.

If this has been going on for such a long time, have you considered contacting the police?

I wasnt sure if the police would be the way to go, I assumed they would just refer me to benefit fraud or action fraud (both of whom I have contacted).

I am assuming that when he applies for these benefits that he puts his own address on the application forms (He cant know my address as I have moved house 3 months ago, the letters still went to my parents address until I changed my details with HMRC to update my address...now the letters come to my new home)

cs1986_2

The Carers Allowance people have just rang me back and told me I have to write to them explaining that I havent made an application and to sign the bottom so that they can check the signatures.

Blondebubbles - Thanks I am going to be writing a few letters over the next day or two starting with HMRC. If nothing gets done Ill try the police.

Horseunderwater

cs1986 wrote: »

The Carers Allowance people have just rang me back and told me I have to write to them explaining that I havent made an application and to sign the bottom so that they can check the signatures.

Blondebubbles - Thanks I am going to be writing a few letters over the next day or two starting with HMRC. If nothing gets done Ill try the police.

In all those forms and letters has a different date of birth ever shown up? If it has then it is this that will sort it out. NI numbers are given out when you are born and sent out to you when you are 16 years old. One way to stop this is to ask the other person to ring up and give his date of birth to DWP NI department and ask for them to re send his correct NI to him. It really is as simple as that. But can still take time to sort. Then tell him that once he has the new number could he contact all the relevant departments to get it all corrected.