Hi, Thanks very much!

Hi, Thanks very much!

Hi, thanks, Well they have not told me they will seek prosecution but the investigator disclosed this to my ex-landlord, she told him she will be seeking prosecution, I do not even fully understand what I am accused of yet! I am not sure she knows either. All I have been told is that I will be called for another interview at some point as she is currently digging into my 4 years of bank accounts, all addresses, my police records about the fire (I had to be arrested for it because at the time the owners were abroad and the police could not contact them to confirm who I was and that I had a right to be there etc). Problem with that, is that the owners did not know I was staying there while they were gone. There idiot of a son was not happy about a lodger staying there without them, even though it was my home and he kicked up a big fuss, so I offered to stay with a friend for the week they was gone. The friend let me down so after two nights I went back and stayed at the house. I was worried that I would be held responsible, so I did not tell the police I was living there, I told them I was living at my Mums address and this is were I was bailed to. My bail conditions also stated I was not allowed on the road of the property. Once the family cleared my name, I was still on bail and only got cleared once forensics came back that proved I had nothing to do with it. So, basically by looking at police records, it can prove I was living somewhere else, although I wasn't, I just didn't want the police to tell the owners I had been staying there. My solicitor at the time I was arrested said that if I explained I lived there but not for that week because the son did not trust me alone in the house, it would raise suspicions and so it was best that I just gave my Mums address for the purpose of the police interview, so I did. I am still waiting to hear back from my solicitor, they referred me to someone else and now I have been waiting two weeks for a response. If it goes to crown court, I would be shocked if a jury prosecuted someone for something they unknowingly did wrong when they was 16 and 17 years old with no family support and mental health problems, I am more concerned about a magistrate to be honest! If I get a criminal record I will not be able to continue running my business or go to university next year as I had planned and this really upsets me. I find it really scary that you can be prosecuted for such mistakes. I really feel like at 16 I should have been given more advice and support about clamming benefits, considering the punishments are so severe, if you do make a mistake. 16 and 17 year olds are generally not wise enough to understand the responsibities of claiming and I did not understand why I could and couldn't do. Anyone else in a similar position or have been?

Hi, I would like to delete both others really as I made mistakes. Sorry, new here. I called turn2us and they put me in touch with a solicitor. The solicitor referred me to another solicitor within the same firm but different department. I was promised a call within 48 hours, which would have been not last Friday but the Friday before. I have chased them up twice and she has re-sent the referral for the attention of two different solicitors (she done this Friday) so I am still waiting for a response. It is really effecting me not even being able to speak with a solicitor.

Hi, I want to DELETE my other post but do not know how to do it so sorry for posting this again but I wanted to change title and make clearer. I am being investigated for benefit fraud. At this point, i am not sure what claims/ addresses they suspect or if they suspect all but I stupidly attended an interview under caution because the only offence I had knowingly committed was not changing my claim in time, that lead to 3 weeks overpayment, I admitted it and then got invited to interview. When I got to the interview I was interviewed for 2 and a half hours about ALL claims, the past 4 years of my life from age 16 to 19 and now, although I have not claimed for 6 months,now 20 years old. Address 1: 16 years old. They say I could only have claimed if I was a care leaver, I was not, never claimed I was. Claim was initatlly refused due to age, boss who was also the landlord said he would look into it, then two weeks later got a letter saying it had been awarded based on new information. I asked my boss what information he provided, I had NOTHING to do with it and NO knowledge he was submitting info. He claimed he just wrote to them saying we was in areas etc. It comes to light now that he must have said I had come from care, as this would have been the only reason they would have awarded it. Address 2: Lost job with first landlord, who was my boss. Guy who worked with this boss said to contact his Mother and ask to rent a room at her house as she used to rent to students. I had become depressed and quite mentally ill, self harming etc and I explained to the landlady I needed to claim HB. She said it was fine. During my time here, aged 16 and 10 months of age until 17 and 9 months of age, there was a fire that meant it was not safe for my landlords to live in and insurance put them in a hotel but would not house me. I stayed at the house during this time, investigator has flagged this up saying I couldn't have lived there. The difference is, is that the house was uninhabitable while work was going on for two people aged 73 and 74, one who had breathing problems from Asbestos. The kitchen was destroyed but I could still use a bedroom and bathroom, I pretty much didn't eat and when I did it was chips or toast etc. I stayed with friends when plumbing was done upstairs etc. I did not inform them of the fre, to be honest it NEVER crossed my mind. Address 3: Moved to a room, found add on gumtree. Turns out landlord was a sub-letter and not landlord, who had a criminal record for fraud (investigator told me about fraud, I found out about him not being landlord) One Day fake landlord tells us to get out, we say no we have a tenancy, he explains it doesn't mean anything, hes not the landlord etc. I left the next Day but carried on claiming for 3 weeks until the landlord got post for me and phoned benefits department, I admitted this before and during interview and offered to pay back etc. The son of Address 2, I started a relationship with during my time at address 3. He lived abroad during the time I rented a room at his parents and he would visit and stay in his own room. We become best friends and got very close but couldn't have a relationship and I was mentally unwell. Then we began a relationship some time after I moved out and he moved back to the UK. BEING ACCUSED OF (Contradicting by the way) Address 1: Not sure but they are suspicious of the fact I was not a care leaver. With all the new info I suspect my landlord lied to get them to change the claim decision from rejected to awarded by telling them I had come from care. Address 2: Sharing a room with the son, being in a relationship and therefore not being entitled to claim when I lived there as it is his family. NOT TRUE. Not living at the property during the fire, I suppose partly true and I shouldn't have stayed there due to the state of the house but I did. Address 2 and 3: Of knowing my landlord at address 3, whilst living at address 2 who aided me in committing fraud on a larger scale (her own words I have no idea what evidence is on this). Address 3: Continuing to claim fraudulently with the help of landlord at address 3. I suspect this is due to his history of fraud and they have put 2 and 2 together and made 11! Contradicting accusations: Address 2: Was in a relationship with son of landlord but he wasn't living there but because he was my boyfriend he paid the rent to his parents for me OR convinced his parents not to charge me. Address 3: Having my partner (who at this point WAS my partner) paying my rent for me and me pocketing the benefit. Despite me telling them he was on a £600 a month wage. I really would appreciate your advice in terms of; IF I am guilty of some fraud, will me age of 16 and 17 make it harder to prosecute Are other advice on the issues above. Cannot sleep or eat properly, having panic attacks and so on. THANK YOU.

Sorry, that was supposed to say; If they think I have committed fraud and want to prosecute, will my age at the time of the offecne matter. Would it be less likely to go to court because of the age I was a the time. If I have done something wrong then I am ready to face it, although I can honestly say I did not knowingly defraud the system, if indeed I have. What I am worried about is being prosecuted for being a stupidly careless 16 and 17 year old, that will prevent me from going to university next year and have an effect on the business I am now running. (I am 20 now). I run my business from a commercial premises but involves animals and need to be CRB checked for the type of work I do, in order to gain clients trust.

Hi, I have another post that asks more and different questions but I have made this thread because I just want to know, if after the investigation the council believe I have committed fraud and can prosecute if the offences took place when I was 16 and 17. This is for housing benefit.

Hello, Firstly, my main concern here is how the investigation is being dealt with as in my opinion, if I have unknowingly done something wrong, then I have to cross that bridge when I come to it but I have SERIOUS concerns.Although I am worried about all of it and am in need of advice. - I receive a call back in April, my benefit had been suspended in March. I knew why and called them got told to call this benefit fraud woman and I did. Gave her my email as I had no fixed abode and emailed her explaining what had happened which in a nutshell; Was renting a room, landlord turned out to be a sub-letter landlord found out and went crazy, everyone got told to be out by the next Day and that our tenancies meant nothing. The subletting guy promised me another room ASAP so I planned to continue claiming while I found another room THEN inform the council of my new address as i was worried about a big gap with starting a new claim. Sent an email explaining this and left it. - I get an email with a letter for interview under caution on JUNE 2012. The date was when I was away at a family wedding and oddly was on a Saturday?! I emailed her on June 27th saying I am sorry I cannot attend can we re-arrange. I herd nothing. I called and left my name and number twice. I left it. - OCTOBER 2012 The leading officer dealing with my case calls me out of the blue and says we need to arrange an interview. I agree and she books it for 3 weeks time and Says that she will send it in letter form to my old address as I can still get my post from there. Letter states its about X address and X problem. I DID NOT seek LEGAL ADVICE because I knew what it was, 3 weeks over payment, failure to notify etc. - Get to interview under caution and she interviews me about the past 4 years of my life, 3 addresses and a number of people for 2 and a half hours! It was exhausting. NOW THE REAL CONCERN She turns up at my middle landlords property, she is looking at 3 claims at 3 address; Address 1: 16 years old, paid straight to landlord Adress 2: 16 - 17 years old, paid to me Address 3: 18- 19 years old, paid to me -She turns up at address 2, unannounced and questioned my 76 year old landlord for over an hour, unrecorded. She tells him I have been claiming at HIS address for 4 years, this angered him. She also disclosed to him that my landlord at address 3 has a criminal record and she believes together me and him are part of a large scale fraud. She tells my ex landlord that I was claiming at 16 etc etc. Makes remarks such as "believe me, ill be prosecuting this girl, every case I get I take them down, I don't care if there OAPs, disabled, I get them, this girls has lied to me on tape through her whole interview" I was DISGUSTED to hear this. By the way, my interview was on the Thursday until office closing time, she turned up here on the Monday. My current partner is the son of landlord 2, we got into an actual relationship when I was living at another property AFTER this date, during my time at his parents he lived in Spain and worked there. So of course we know word for word in all truth what was said, my ex landlord was so disgusted with how she acted that hes retracted the statement and is complaining. Im so CONFUSED. I do not know what im being investigated for or what is happening. We didn't get to finish the interview and I had no time to ask questions, she now refuses to get back to me, meet me again until she has ore evidence etc. I am waiting for my useless solicitors to contact me, I have been waiting 2 weeks for a referral. I want to know how she can act like this, this isnt fair or impartial? How can she lie to my landlord to provoke anger and get away with it. How can she tell me the interview is about one small thing, then sit and interview me for so long. I am worried because I tried to answer the questions so I did not look uncooperative but I cannot remember everything from when I was 16. I was a bit of a tearaway, I had depression and eating problems and I did not really understand my legal obligations to claiming benefits, in all honesty, I didn't care back then. I know I have written A LOT but no one can help me if I do not lay down the facts. Does anyone know if I can do anything about her behavior and; IF they find I done something fraudulent under the age of 18, is this taken into consideration? Any other advice, experiences? THANK YOU Interview info and accusations EDIT: In interview she was suspicious because you can see X benefit going out but Y cash withdrawals that do not add up. I explained my rent was paid in cash, as stated on application and that I received "charitable donations" as I was not in a fit state of mind to work and was too young to claim anything, not that I even knew what was out there. I got say £250 in Charitable donations per month. My rent for example was £90 a week. I used to used the cash I got to pay rent and withdraw the different from my bank, so if I had £50 cash sitting there, I would only draw out £40 from my bank. Then I used what was left in my bank from housing benefit to pay for the stuff that the charitable donations was meant for, food, clothes etc. I said to her, why am I going to take cash to the bank every week, only to take cash back out??? I was terrible with money so I paid for things using card, I said, if I had £20 and only needed to spend £5, id end up spending the whole £20, its what I was like. Firstly she accused me of taking money from my partner or friends and paying rent with it, I don't understand whats wrong with this, money is money, they knew how much money I received every month, its up to me what pot I pay it from, its all still MONEY! Then she said, ok, lets say you wasn't having your rent paid by someone else, then I think you wasn't paying your landlord??? Her accusations were contradicting to say the least. I was honest and just said, look, I was 16-18 during these periods, my life was a mess, I did not keep paperwork ,record monies and quite frankly wasn't bothered about it, I was consumed with depression and that was the least of my worries. Now I am 20, have started my own sole trading company that is going well, I have matured so much am no longer depressed or taking medication and I am supporting myself. I feel like my careless behavior from when I was a minor is biting me in the backside and I understand if I was wrong, I was wrong, I need to face that but I am being treated like I was a completely comprehendable adult that knowingly plotted to [problem] the system because I am organised criminal.