Ex DWP staff set up advice site to help those with sanctions

dippy3103

Are you saying you accepted an administrative penalty? How much was the overpayment.

You can appeal the rate of recovery if it's causing you hardship, the council may or may not agree to reduce the rate of recovery. It's a standard rate that's used for fraud overpayments

dekaspace

I do not think I accepted the penalty I was told they decided I had to pay one unless one of the forms I signed at the start meant I was tricked into doing so.

I did forget about the overpayment as was in the process of moving out of that property to another in same town and with the house move letters were just slipping my mind it was only when I had the money taken off my JSA(then ESA) I remembered but I also got confused as I still got letters saying I had to pay back despite them taking it anyway.

dippy3103

The penalty can't be applied unless you sign a separate agreement at a second interview accepting it.
You mean they are recovering it from your JSA now?

BillJones

rogerblack wrote: »

Far, far, far, far more is lost to the exchequer due to people paying accountants to minimise their tax/inheritance tax... bills than is lost due to people doing exactly the same thing with the benefit system.

This is referred to as "whataboutery", and is about as sensible a rebuttal as is a child asking why they are being punished when someone else got away with something worse.

BillJones

dippy3103 wrote: »

I mean abuse of the system as in not using it as the safety net it is, but rather as a lifestyle choice.

I fear that you are banging your head against a wall here, as many on this site think that there's nothing wrong with it being a lifestyle choice.

I disagree, strongly, and fortunately most of society in the wider world agree with us.

missbiggles1

Viberduo wrote: »

Bullcrap, a lot of the time JC are useless and whilst they are not directly there to catch you out they treat you like just a number so if you do something wrong even if by error they will sanction you, I always remember even 10 years ago when on New Deal being given about 18 forms to fill in(they pestered you to say yes to forms and if you said no said "oh you may be sanctioned") they rushed them to me as the advisor was about 20 minutes behind schedule and wanted to go home so I had 10 minutes before closing, I started filling in some forms and was told people had to leave before it closed.

Next morning noticed a form was due in the same day as I got it so I rushed it and handed it in, at my next appointment a few days later I was HONEST that it was handed in a day late due to it being given to me minutes before JC closed and advisor wrote a form and told me to put down my reasons for not handing it in on time, I was again HONEST and the JC decided I had no good reason for not handing it in and stopped my money for 6 MONTHS!!! Considering at the time I was living in a grotty bedsit and already living off stuff like beans on toast as was that poor I had to get weekly crisis loans to just pay the bills

Another time I broke my toe as was groggy in morning 2 hours before I had an advisor interview so rang to rearrange appointment and was told advisor was going on a weeks holiday and they refused to let me see anyone else, I had my money stopped for not signing on for a week and lost the appeal, another time was the most severe in that I moved house asked before I left to transfer claim was told I had to go to new one and make a new claim, new one told me I had to sign on (300 miles away!) at old place so lost money, I did appeal and also rang almost every day for a month and eventually DID win but I was then told I failed to attend 2 sign on appointments at new JC so lost the same money I regained at appeal!

Another time they stopped my money a few days before christmas claiming my 5 hour a week study had 40 hours home study therefore my course was 45 hours and full time so stopped my money and I failed that appeal because they twisted my statement to say I refused to leave course if I got a job(I said as I lived in countryside and had 4 buses a day if I was given a call for a interview I could not come straight down unless it was made around the travel)

They also with a friend who in his entire adult life and so hard working he did full time work whilst at college as he didnt get a grant, he moved back to his parents and signed on by post for a few months but hated being unemployed so slept on my floor and got a job 1 day after moving in with me but was fired for being too slow had 2 P45's go missing from JC and told to our face "if we have not got it you have not handed it in" so had had only £20 a week to live off and had his HB stopped as they thought he was working, his advisor was rude to his face and told him he was lazy and making excuses and refused to believe he wasnt working and also claimed that his 5-20 jobs he applied for a week was fake and she kept saying she will sanction him, I went with him for support once and asked for the manager and the manager came across and was rude to me saying I had no right to be with my friend, that we were both LYING about the advisor(despite her getting various complaints I found out about) that my friend was lazy despite her not even knowing who my friend was.

I can go on and on about people I know who have problems, I know a recent university graduate who worked 3 part time jobs and did full time uni who lost all 3 jobs(partly as were being used by employers) she has a honours degree where she was getting A's even in dissertation and her local JC referred her to Ingeus and made her do basic skills courses in things like computers! And courses in how to fill out application forms and also the local Ingeus is like 20 miles away and there is no buses so most of her JSA goes on travel as despite them meant to be paying her travel they claim she is too close to get it!

That may say more about you and the people you mix with than it does about JCP policy and actions.

dippy3103

BillJones wrote: »

This is referred to as "whataboutery", and is about as sensible a rebuttal as is a child asking why they are being punished when someone else got away with something worse.

Or as my Mum would say, "two wrongs don't make a right"

mattcanary

So what is being done by the government to try and punish tax fraud?

Indie_Kid

FBaby wrote: »

Spending DLA on anything that has nothing to do with one's disability is not fraud, but in my view, it is cheating the system as it is not spent on what it is intended for.

How is it cheating the system if you meet the criteria?

dippy3103

mattcanary wrote: »

So what is being done by the government to try and punish tax fraud?

No idea. Nor do I know what is being done to tackle VAT fraud, shoplifting, kiting, bilking and a plethora of other offences. I doubt the people employed to investigate those issues can give much detail about the steps taken to tackle benefit fraud.


And tax fraud can range from a very low level few ££'s here & there to thousands of
pounds. What if someone on a low salary was working cash in hand in a pub one night a week- maybe earning £30. Should they be jumped on ahead of people on benefits.

Just because someone is perceived to be getting away with something does not give someone else a mandate to break the law.