Incorrect Claim - Help needed

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Comments

  • Darksparkle
    Darksparkle Posts: 5,465 Forumite
    Newbie1982 wrote: »
    It's all a bit of a mess. I spoke to my ex and asked if he would help if it had to be paid back, he has said no as he had told me to cancel it, it isn't in his name, and he says it isn't anything to do with him.

    He's right it isn't anything to do with him other than him reporting you himself. As it was a single claim and only you could end it, any overpayment or penalties would be for you to repay.
  • marliepanda
    marliepanda Posts: 7,186 Forumite
    Newbie1982 wrote: »
    Thank you for the feedback. Me and the ex didn't split on good terms, I've been in touch to see if he'd help out but as I've said he's said no as it has nothing to do with him. He's moved house and I know when he got his new property he told the local borough council that he'd been living previously at my address, don't know if this will cause anything to flag up, I guess I need to have a long think about what to do next.

    Of course it will. Any and all benefits you claim, housing benefit, council tax reduction, all of it will be effected.

    I mean I am sure this post is a joke, as nobody could possibly think they could get away with this, long think or not, but to any genuine people out there.

    Councils, the DWP and HMRC have agreements to share information, and you agree to that when you make your claims. They have whole fraud departments who catch out people who are much much smarter than you are.
  • poppy12345
    poppy12345 Posts: 17,932 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper
    If you were claiming any other benefits fraudulently then you'll also need to tell them, council tax, housing benefit etc. Admitting you claimed wrongly is far better than them finding out, which they will eventually.

    How you sleep at night, i'll never know.
  • Newbie1982
    Newbie1982 Posts: 14 Forumite
    My post isn't a joke, I'm struggling sleeping at the moment. I should have cancelled this long ago, i know I've done wrong. My fear is I'm really struggling financially at the moment, if i was to have anything else come out of my income I'd really be in trouble. In the back of my mind I'd expected to have the dreaded letter drop on the mat weeks ago but i haven't heard anything so in the back of my mind I thought let sleeping dogs lie
  • marliepanda
    marliepanda Posts: 7,186 Forumite
    If you fess up then you!!!8217;ll probably get an administrative fine.

    Allow them to find out themselves and find yourself prosecuted for fraud.

    Depends how you want those sleeping dogs to bite you, because they will.
  • Newbie1982
    Newbie1982 Posts: 14 Forumite
    marliepanda wrote: »
    If you fess up then you!!!8217;ll probably get an administrative fine.

    Allow them to find out themselves and find yourself prosecuted for fraud.

    Depends how you want those sleeping dogs to bite you, because they will.

    So why haven't they caught me earlier? My ex was living here, had bank accounts and credit cards here ect
  • baza52
    baza52 Posts: 3,029 Forumite
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    Newbie1982 wrote: »
    So why haven't they caught me earlier? My ex was living here, had bank accounts and credit cards here ect

    They are most likely fully aware of your partner living with you.
    It just takes time to build up a case against you so they will have been watching your house and compiling evidence so they have a cast iron case against you.

    Up to you how you go forward with this.
  • Icequeen99
    Icequeen99 Posts: 3,775 Forumite
    Newbie1982 wrote: »
    So why haven't they caught me earlier? My ex was living here, had bank accounts and credit cards here ect

    Certainly for tax credits, HMRC don't run real time checks in every case. Compliance is often done a couple of years later. Where someone has been fraudulent they have far more powers to go back several years rather than just the last year and a bit (although they don't use those powers often). But I am seeing more people hit with large penalties of £3,000 in addition to the overpayment which will total everything you were paid on the single claim. You will not be entitled to notional offsetting unless you can convince them you were negligent rather than fraudulent/deliberate.

    I think you need to speak to an advice agency locally as obviously this affects more than just tax credits.

    IQ
  • FBaby
    FBaby Posts: 18,367 Forumite
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    Sorry OP but no sympathy whatsoever. What do you expect? You chose to continue to claim to be a single mum to get money from tax payers in addition to what you were getting from sharing your life with your partner. You made sure that it couldn't be traceable. He asked you to stop the claim and you didn't because you kept the extra money. You thought you were clever and would never be found because you had cover yourself.

    Unfortunately, you forgot the possibility that you would separate and that he would feel good reporting you. Indeed, nothing to do with him, the claim in under your name only.

    Your plan backfired and I do hope you have to pay it all. Cheating the system is not just bad because of the deceit, but it is teaching children that you can live a good life on a low or no income and that is even more worrying.
  • Morglin
    Morglin Posts: 15,919 Forumite
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    Newbie1982 wrote: »
    So why haven't they caught me earlier? My ex was living here, had bank accounts and credit cards here ect


    Because a lot of DWP and HMRC offices are in a hell of a mess, at the moment, and it often takes them ages to catch up with anything.

    But, there is no time limit where overpayments are concerned, so it would be better to get it sorted out.

    If your ex was claiming, as a single man, living elsewhere, then he will have a problem as well.

    I would contact the CAB or a local welfare rights, take all your paperwork, explain what's happened, and follow their advice.

    Lin
    You can tell a lot about a woman by her hands..........for instance, if they are placed around your throat, she's probably slightly upset. ;)
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