Prove you live alone.

SailorSam

I've just had my weekly email from Paul Lewis saying what's on his show this week. And this is one of the subjects he's talking about .......


Prove you live alone

Thousands of single parents are being written to by an American outsourcing company demanding proof that they are not cohabiting. Concentrix is writing the letters to single parents who get tax credits and asking for dozens of pages of information to prove they live alone on threat of suspending their money.


That sounds as if it may be some sort of Scam doesn't it, to get your personal details.
If you're a single parent receiving tax credits it may be worth listening to Moneybox R4 tomorrow lunchtime to see does he give anymore details.

Cyberman60

There was a thread on this a week or so back.

Londonsu

So why should people who are claiming benefits or tax credits as a single parent be awarded money without checks and just on their say so? As I have said on other threads even my old Dad who worked and paid tax for 70 years had to provide proof including bank statements to show entitlement to HB and pension credit.


Is there actually any proof that this company are using the information they get for any other purpose then to ensure the tax credit system is not being abused and as proof of entitlement.

oscarward

Curious as to what they will accept as proof no one else is living there?


But above that, what happened to innocent until proven guilty?








Sit back and wait for hang 'em and flog 'em troop to jump on me.

rogerblack

oscarward wrote: »

But above that, what happened to innocent until proven guilty?

You do not have to claim means-tested benefits.

You do have to be 'proven guilty' in order to be found to have been overpaid benefits.

But that guilty finding is not 'beyond all reasonable doubt' - but 'on the balance of probabilities'.
That is - more likely than not.

If you don't cooperate with the process, and supply evidence, then there is a real chance of being found to be a couple when you're not.

Mojisola

rogerblack wrote: »

If you don't cooperate with the process, and supply evidence, then there is a real chance of being found to be a couple when you're not.

How can you supply evidence that no-one else lives with you?

FBaby

Mojisola wrote: »

How can you supply evidence that no-one else lives with you?

It's not about proving you live alone but proving you don't live with someone. They tell you what you want, but a bank statement is certainly can provide a good indication of whether someone is living alone or not by looking at what regular payments are mising (ie. council tax for our household is paid, but it comes out of my OH's account each month, never mine, quite a clear indication).

Similarly, a mobile phone bill for two phones when the claimants only has children under the age of 5 would raise suspicions same as car insurance.

dibdabable

They'd need a huge amount of evidence anyway. If we take the example Fbaby gives, well the person could be having CB paid so it wouldn't appear on a bank account. I have my daughter's mobile phone payments on my account but she doesn't live with me, I took it out prior to her returning from abroad.
I don't think it would be that easy to prove or disprove.

Mojisola

The woman on Moneybox said that they wanted nine months' worth of bank statements and utility bills and everything had to be the originals, not copies!

PasturesNew

I can prove I live alone - they just have to drop by without warning at anytime and it's obvious I live alone.

I'll have not brushed my hair, or even be dressed - probably just in a T shirt and a thong. There'll be evidence of single person meals having been made and washing up left ... and a single person's rubbish in the bin (not much of it, packets indicating one person's been eating).

Inside the fridge is another giveaway - not much in there, pretty basic and only for one person's needs/likes.

Bedrooms - again, one person's stuff ... one person's mail, one person's belongings that clearly belong to one person and not somebody with differing interests.

On paper though, I couldn't.

Bank statements would show one person's food being bought, nothing more - and one person sized utility bills being paid. All present and correct as only one person pays the bills, me.

FBaby

If we take the example Fbaby gives, well the person could be having CB paid so it wouldn't appear on a bank account. I have my daughter's mobile phone payments on my account but she doesn't live with me, I took it out prior to her returning from abroad.

Maybe this would prompt an interview for clarification. Who pays the CB and why. Surely that person would be close enough to be ok to show their bank statement to evidence it and if it is a family member, than that can be diregarded.

Same with mobile, just need to prove that the number is that of daughter and they can check that daughter is registered elsewhere.

In any case, I expect they are not so much interested in looking at evidence when things are missing as they are interested in things that scream fraud, ie. joint bank statements with regular food shopping coming out of it, car insurance for two cars etc... when the other person is husband who they have supposedly been separated from for 5 years.