Receiving someone else's DWP letters (brown envelope)

simplisticx289

Hi there,
Since the past couple of months, we keep getting someone else's DWP letter (3-4 times). The address is correct, but the name belongs to someone else. We have not opened it at all put always cross out the name and address and re-post it saying the recipient doesn't reside at the address and to send it back to the return address. 

Regardless of doing that, the letters keep coming through. Obviously we can bin it, like all of the other rubbish and end of story. But, considering it could be very important we choose to return. We have rang DWP about it, but have failed to get through to them. 

Don't know what else to do. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

simplisticx289

To add to that, we have been living at this address since 25 + years. We knew the previous owners, they were elderly and passed away. We did get a lot of advert letters in their name but that stopped many years ago. So yes, no one else has lived at the address with the name shown on the letter.

SiliconChip

Not sure that this has anything to do with insurance, but I'd suggest that you open the next letter to come to find out which part of DWP is sending it, and use any phone number on the letter to try to contact them - it may take some perseverance but you should eventually be able to get through.

JIL

What's the return address on the envelope? I ask as this can identify which part of dwp sent the letter.  Then do a Google search you will then know who to contact.

SiliconChip

There's nothing wrong with opening the envelope to find out what part of DWP it's come from, the letter was correctly delivered to your address so you are perfectly at liberty to open it.

simplisticx289

JIL said:

What's the return address on the envelope? I ask as this can identify which part of dwp sent the letter.  Then do a Google search you will then know who to contact.

I've googled it already, but this is the address "P.O Box 585, Belfast BT1 1DW", it states it's a dead letter box. Regardless, we've sent it back again and this time with a separate letter, as we can't get through to DWP by phone.

Also, after we posted it this time, the supposedly correct recipient of the letter came to ask for the letters - of course we posted it so sent him away. But also found out, that our neighbour has also been getting the same letters! So it does sound purely dodgy.

greyteam1959

Sounds very very dodgy to me.
You can report suspected fraud here.
Which is what I would do.
https://www.gov.uk/report-benefit-fraud

TELLIT01

You did the correct thing in sending it on the DWP Belfast.  They deal with all misdirected post.  Somebody actually having the nerve to come to your house to collect their post is certainly not a beginner at that game.  If they come back, hold your phone up as if you are taking a photo, actually take one if you can, it's a pretty safe bet you won't see them again.

SiliconChip

I don't think you're ever going to resolve this without doing what I previously suggested, to open the letter and get the details of which part of DWP has sent it so that you can contact them and discuss what's happening. Just sending it back to Belfast means it'll probably be lost in a huge pile of other returned mail.

TELLIT01

It's highly likely that DWP will refuse to discuss anything with the OP.  They may accept the report that the person to whom the posted is addressed doesn't actually live there, but nothing more than that. 

elsien

I’d open it as well to get an idea of what is going on and decide what to do next.