DWP demanding repayment of £3000 from 1983 Scam, Hoax or Real?

missapril75

absolutereturn wrote: »

...why has it taken the DWP between 7 and 32 years to realise this fact?.

It hasn't.
The DWP is a department inadequately staffed for all the work required of it. Back when they were responsible for collecting child support (as DSS), they didn't have the staff to do so efficiently. Benefit paying rightly got priority, but instead of staffing the department properly the government spend far greater sums on setting up the child support agency. That worked well didn't it?

Same thing with recovering overpayments and other debts.

The government, in the usual short sighted way of governments, spent insufficient money to begin with and they now spend more on a different regime.

Why is that people always think there was some failure to spot something? When you finally get around to painting the spare room did you fail to notice it needed painting for a few years or did you have other priorities?

missapril75

absolutereturn wrote: »

If you had borrowed £3k in one go you'd probably remember it

Quite right.

, however, if you look at the opening post, you'll see it refers to...VARIOUS items including both loans and alleged overpayments adding up to £3k..

So a whole series of individual events. Most people never get overpaid. Most people never take out loans. An even greater number don't do it to build up such an amount.

It's a bit naive to think someone genuinely has no recollection.

Linda_D_2

It's a scam, don't fall for it.

absolutereturn

Linda_D wrote: »

It's a scam, don't fall for it.

What is? The letter from the DWP or the OP's story?

ags1989

there is no time limit with government money only commercial money has a time limit, and thats 6 years.

[Deleted User]

ags1989 wrote: »

there is no time limit with government money only commercial money has a time limit, and thats 6 years.

You dragged up a 2 year old post why?

Chrysalis

Mersey wrote: »

Ha if only.


DWP aren't that clever yet. Hence £1bn in overpayments.


They are unable to recoup it via your tax code. What you're probably thinking of - they can seek an attachment of earnings but again that's for debts of less than 6 years.


You can't enforce something you can't obtain a Judgment for.


Plus obviously if you're no longer on benefits or you're self-employed, there's little they can do re aged debt.


But they are trying to recover historic debt, hence the flurry of letters that have gone out.


What has changed is that in the recent Welfare Reform Act, even if a recent overpayment is due to DWP error, it will be deemed recoverable rather than automatically written off.


But it's hoped (used to be envisaged) that with greater data sharing and Universal Credit from 2018, as well as quarterly reporting for the self-employed, HMRC will then finally be able to reduce overpayments of WTC etc. It's promised every year to the Public Accounts Committee.

I am not aware of overpayments ever been automatically written off even if its DWP error.

Part of the problems with the DWP is they dont work with other government departments, including the HMRC.

I once was working and paying income tax whilst claiming JSA, surely that be impossible if HMRC and the DWP work together I actually did try to turn myself in as I felt guilty got away with it for about 2 months, when I told the lady at the desk she turned the other way as if she didnt hear me, I then walked out but did cancel the claim later.