Housing Benefits Investigation

bloolagoon

I wonder how much money the business really made not the £10k declared go HMRC.

Housing_Benefit_Officer

You have committed fraud.

Grow a pair. Man up to what you have done and accept the consequences.

Your bank account has grown fat because you have committed fraud. Accept that some of that taxpayers cash you have fraudulently saved will need to be handed back from your fat bank balance.

Don't commit fraud again and in future declare all changes of circumstances as and when they happen.

Housing_Benefit_Officer

hamidg84 wrote: »

In these 4/5 years we never informed council for change of circumstances

Why? Did you think the magic free cash taxpayer funded money tree was going to keep handing you cash for ever and ever? When exactly would you have notified anyone of the increase in your household income and savings? Would you ever have told anyone? Or only when you got caught?

Why did you fail to notify the Housing Benefit Department of these changes?

hamidg84 wrote: »

I'm so scared and gone into stress due to this issue.

Good. I hope you have many a sleepless night.

hamidg84 wrote: »

We have never had intentions of committing to benefit fraud in any way. We even kept benefit money in bank account.

So if you didn't think you were committing fraud why have you been saving the money in a bank account?

hamidg84 wrote: »

I need to know if we have committed to any criminal offense? If council thinks they have overpaid, they can take back. It's Govt money and we have kept it well safe.

S15 Theft Act 1968, Obtaining by deception - benefit fraud, maximum penalty 10 years.

hamidg84 wrote: »

We have nothing to hide. No money has come from other sources into our accounts. Everything is full black & white.

Please advise.

You haven't informed the Housing Benefit Department of any changes in financial circumstances for FIVE YEARS. A prosecution is likely due to the multiple changes you have failed to inform about.

If you had nothing to hide why did you fail to inform of any changes of circumstances? On the back of every letter you received would be a list of changes you have to inform the council of.

You are also going to end up with a large Council Tax overpayment as well as a large Housing Benefit overpayment.

HappyMJ

Housing_Benefit_Officer wrote: »

You have committed fraud.

Grow a pair. Man up to what you have done and accept the consequences.

Your bank account has grown fat because you have committed fraud. Accept that some of that taxpayers cash you have fraudulently [STRIKE]saved[/STRIKE] claimed will need to be handed back from your fat bank balance.

Don't commit fraud again and in future declare all changes of circumstances as and when they happen.

Straight to the point HBO...

<pedantic mode on> It's not fraudulent to save the money...it's fraudulent to continue to claim the money to which the household was not entitled. It's pedantic I know but the OP will need to know the difference as this may end up in court. It'll be nice to know what penalty the OP gets but I'm sure we'll never get to know and these cases take many months even years to get a conclusion.

HappyMJ

Housing_Benefit_Officer wrote: »

Why? Did you think the magic free cash taxpayer funded money tree was going to keep handing you cash for ever and ever? When exactly would you have notified anyone of the increase in your household income and savings? Would you ever have told anyone? Or only when you got caught?

Why did you fail to notify the Housing Benefit Department of these changes?




Good. I hope you have many a sleepless night.




So if you didn't think you were committing fraud why have you been saving the money in a bank account?



S15 Theft Act 1968, Obtaining by deception - benefit fraud, maximum penalty 10 years.



You haven't informed the Housing Benefit Department of any changes in financial circumstances for FIVE YEARS. A prosecution is likely due to the multiple changes you have failed to inform about.

If you had nothing to hide why did you fail to inform of any changes of circumstances? On the back of every letter you received would be a list of changes you have to inform the council of.

You are also going to end up with a large Council Tax overpayment as well as a large Housing Benefit overpayment.

<pedantic mode again> 3 years. not 5 years. If they started with zero savings and saved £50 a week then it would have taken 2 years to exceed £6,000 so they've been committing fraud for 3 years. It'll make a big difference in court.

It'll be a fraud by misrepresentation charge. It's not theft it's a dishonesty offence. They won't get 10 years. Starting point for fraud by misrepresentation under £5k is 6 weeks.

One bonus for OP if they do go to prison then it's unlikely they'll also get a financial penalty and they'll only have to pay back the overpayment (before the court case) and the court costs and they'll be out of prison in a few weeks.

ToriP

Nice to know the tax I pay goes towards people saving for holidays. I'll just continue paying for everyone's holidays shall I

HappyMJ

ToriP wrote: »

Nice to know the tax I pay goes towards people saving for holidays. I'll just continue paying for everyone's holidays shall I

Normal households on very limited incomes wouldn't be able to save £50 a week. You aren't paying for luxury holidays it's likely a household on benefits could only afford a short break in the UK once a year staying in a holiday park...maybe using the Sun's £9.50 holiday offer.

Here_Comes_The_Judge

ToriP wrote: »

Nice to know the tax I pay goes towards people saving for holidays. I'll just continue paying for everyone's holidays shall I

I wish I had a choice where my Tax was spent. I know that would never happen.


I work over 12 hours a day. I get up at 0510, leave the house at 0600. Get back in at 1945 (on holiday this week). For what? So all the fiddlers get a cushy life! I hope the Tories go a lot further with the cuts.

bloolagoon

ToriP wrote: »

Nice to know the tax I pay goes towards people saving for holidays. I'll just continue paying for everyone's holidays shall I

People don't see tax credits as benefits but if you include those its not everyone but not a few.

NYM

I know what you all are only saying is right, it's just hard to read such critical comments

...maybe I'm being too soft today because I do agree with all comments, it's just how it's been said I feel a little uncomfortable with.