Got a compliance letter and I'm scared.

suwoongiejae

I received a letter yesterday with the following wording:

We're reviewing your benefits and circumstances
You must come to an office interview.

Dear Miss

---

We need to talk to you about some changes that may affect your benefits payments. You must be available for this interview and have all the information listed on page 1 and 2 with you.

It asks me to bring something proving who I am which the bank statements will do.

It asks to bring my latest bank statements.

I saw at the bottom it has a code FESL2T which many people on other forums has said is from the fraud department.

My circumstances haven't changed I have sever anxiety and agoraphobia and I receive ESA and am in the work related activity group. I share a bank account with my sister purely because we both don't handle money well and it's easier to manage the money if it's all in one account. It's been this way for the whole time I've been on benefits and nothing has ever flagged before. I also got a personal loan and wondered if maybe that could have flagged. I literally don't talk to a single person, I'm scared of people and have no friends so I don't know anyone that would report me unless my adviser said something. Please help, I can't sleep at all and the interview isn't until the 3rd of January. I'm worrying myself sick.

Browntoa

If you've done nothing wrong and your circumstances have not changed then stop worrying

Could just be a false report made about you

Darksparkle

Maybe they think your sister is your partner.

tomtom256

Compliance officers are part of Fraud so it your letter would be from the Fraud Department so too speak.

Is there more than £16,000 in the joint account as this may trigger a review to see how much of it is yours.

Just take what they ask for and tell the truth and if you have done nothing wrong and/or not hiding anything you will be fine.

suwoongiejae

Thinking my sister is my partner? I don't even know what the hell to say about that, that's really confusing. But no there's definitely not £16'000 or more in there in fact the balance is constantly negative.

antrobus

suwoongiejae wrote: »

...I saw at the bottom it has a code FESL2T which many people on other forums has said is from the fraud department....

FES = Fraud and Error Service
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/523527/fraud-guide-feb-2016.pdf

L2 means an office interview as opposed to L3 whch is a home visit.

It means that someone at the DWP thinks there is an 'issue'. Until you attend the interview you won't know what it is.

Ames

suwoongiejae wrote: »

Thinking my sister is my partner? I don't even know what the hell to say about that, that's really confusing. But no there's definitely not £16'000 or more in there in fact the balance is constantly negative.

I think Darksparkle just meant that they could have seen two names on the account and assumed you're part of a couple. They won't know she's your sister.

Do you have other ID or bills you can take? If the problem is the bank account then only having bank statements to show them might drag things out longer.

Darksparkle

suwoongiejae wrote: »

Thinking my sister is my partner? I don't even know what the hell to say about that, that's really confusing. But no there's definitely not £16'000 or more in there in fact the balance is constantly negative.

Well they wouldn't know it's your sister, they'd just see you have a joint bank account which people normally have with a partner.

suwoongiejae

I have a birth certificate? I don't have other bills because everything else is in my dads name and he's in charge of all the bills. I live with my Dad, Brother and Sister. For my bank account though if that's the issue why has it never been brought up before the whole time whenever I had benefits the money went into this same account I couldn't get an account on my own because I didn't have enough ID so the bank allowed my sister to put my name on her accounts

Darksparkle

There is nothing wrong with having an account with your sister, all I'm saying is that it could be something they are checking (I have seen this happen on other benefit checks). You'll be able to explain that easily.

suwoongiejae

Yeah I mean if that's what it is there's a reason we have a joint account and there's no law against having an account with a family member that I trust. My worry is about not having any type of ID other than my statements. I also wondered if it might be because the adviser said I didn't do something so I checked my action plan and it said I had to visit somewhere before the 5th of January and obviously that hasn't crossed that time path yet.