Benefit fraud

ceecee1

At the end of the day it is not going to matter one jot if you have spent the money, whether or not you got any letters or whether or not you 'forgot' to tell them.
The offence will be a failure to notify a change of circumstances that you knew would affect your benefit. Even the claim form you signed to make your claim has a declaration that you know to report changes and that a failure to do so may result in prosecution.
You might as well go and tell the truth as they will have all your earnings details anyway, if you try to say something else you are just making it worse for yourself.
A figure of £10k will go to court but is highly unlikely to result in a custodial sentence.

teddysmum

Probably get one of those stupid repayment schemes that will take 65 years to pay the money back.

tomtom256

Soulful wrote: »

Does anyone know how they question you I've heard that throw questions at you to catch you out and trick you

How can they catch you out?

You will be asked things like, whose responsibility is it to notify any changes, how would you notify a change, how quickly do you need to report a change, did you report a change, what did you think would happen to your claim etc.

No trickery just straight forward questions.

sangie595

I seriously think that you need to come up with a better story. Preferably the truthful one. If you have genuinely made an error, then there is nothing to catch out. You did it, but whether they catch you out depends on whether there is something to catch out. And frankly, none of this makes any sense at all. You are totally spendthrift and never check your bank account, and yet manage to know that there is money to spare to save? You know with absolute certainty that you received no correspondence about your benefits, but are so utterly lacking in care that you have never once checked a bank statement? Even forgetting to sign off because you have depression is a bit thin - you were well enough to get a job and hold it down for over a year, but not to remember you are getting benefits or check a bank statement? Did you remember to check you had been paid?! Of course they are going to be doubtful. The story is full of things that don't make sense.

Don't dig yourself a deeper hole. Whatever the truth is, tell that. Then you have nothing left to be found out. Or tripped up over.

Soulful

I'll just tell them I knew what I was doing then see where it gets me. I'm happy to pay it all back I just don't want to go prison

xylophone

I'll just tell them I knew what I was doing

Bud did you? If you didn't, say so!

Soulful

No I didn't I don't want them thinking I'm lying and make it worse for myself

LadyDee

So you don't check your bank statements. Suppose you don't check your balance when you take money out of the ATM either? Pull the other one.

For goodness sake, you've defrauded the benefit system, you've had £10,000 more than you should have. You knew full well you were getting money you weren't entitled to. Pay it back. You said initially you hadn't spent it, then you had spent a little bit. Now you've got a little bit saved up.

I for one am very, very happy to hear that you've been caught.

MABLE

Soulful wrote: »

Hi new to the forum, don't know if this is the right place.

I'm not going to go in to too much detail I've just recieved a letter for an interview under caution what's the chances of me going to prison? I started a full time job last August and forgot to cancel my ESA now I'm not sleeping a bit at the min. Think I'm gonna end up owing 10k think I better get mentally prepared for prison

IUC is next Wednesday

Prisons are not what they use to be. Also the cells now have TV, Radio and a few other luxuries. You have been caught out and must accept the consequences of your actions. Best of luck!

dippy3103

Soulful wrote: »

Does anyone know how they question you I've heard that throw questions at you to catch you out and trick you

Trick you how?