hi

i was last year prosecuted for benefit fraud

i hold my hands up and took what i had coming no one else to blame but me,

i was wondering the person who reported me did so by letter,

is there any way i could get this letter or a copy of it so i could see who it was who reported me

even if it wasn't sign just it could be someone i know,

i don't know but does the freedom of information act or data protection act anyway of getting these or this letter, from the dwp.

You could try submitting a subject access request and asking for all information relating to the investigation, but I suspect you would not get a copy of this letter if it exists.

A F.o.I. request can not be used for personal information, only a SAR under the DPA.

I would say no you can't get it.

FOIA does not apply as it is personal data. DPA has an exemption from the disclosure provisions for data which is held for the purpose of preventing or detecting crime. (s29)

Even if they did submit to you the letter the personal data would be redacted.

If you admit to wrongdoing then why would you care who reported you. Sounds like you seek vengeance for getting dobbed in?

Best advice anyone can give you is to accept what has happened and move on.

No, data protection amongst other legal stuff. It would be VERY dangerous to allow this information to be released unless it was in a court of law or a legal representative

What would you do with that information?

nothing estellyn, but could a lawyer get it.

Unlikely. I seem to remember you don't have to give your name when reporting someone.

nothing estellyn, but could a lawyer get it.

What would a lawyer do with it?

What would a lawyer do with it?

Quite. So, you do happen to find out who shopped you, and, what would YOU intend to do about it? The answer is, unless something illegal, nothing

To answer your question, no your lawyer will not be able to get it. There is no reason to release it but lots not to.

Often the letters that come in are typed and anon anyway.

Move on. You did wrong and admitted it. What do you hope to do by getting it?

nothing but thanks for every ones replies. i don't intend doing anything illegal just wondered if i could maybe recognise the writing.

nothing but thanks for every ones replies. i don't intend doing anything illegal just wondered if i could maybe recognise the writing.

I agree an SAR would fail.

Exemptions for both third parties (identifiers would be redacted) and for 'prevention of crime' would apply.

If you aren't going to use it to act against the individual, either deliberately or unconsciously : why do you want their identity?

nothing but thanks for every ones replies. i don't intend doing anything illegal just wondered if i could maybe recognise the writing.

Hello there.

It seems to me you aren't going to get hold of this information. My understanding is that the reporting system is anonymous, otherwise people might not report benefit fraud.

I'm afraid I don't see what you would gain from knowing who reported you.

HB

Ok, I can kind of see and understand. If this happened to me, I would LIKE to see who shopped me just to see if it was someone I truly thought was a friend just to was my mind I guess. The problem is that there are people that would seek vengeance out there, so rules and laws are in place to stop that happening. The reporting of benefits fraud is anonymous.

Hi Ellena,

A SAR is a request for data held about you and it would not require the disclosure of specific documents, such as an informant's letter.

As others have said, there are almost certainly measures in place to prevent you from getting info about an informant.

I too can understand your need to know who it was that "shopped" you, as a similar thing happened to an old mate of mine years ago.

It did her head in, as she tried to work out who it was & it was all she could talk about, she even confronted someone, which ended badly.

It was not nice to watch her become mistrustful & isolate herself from our group of friends. She blamed everyone from her neighbours to her friends & family, as no matter what she wanted revenge....

Sad thing is, as she never found out who it was, she eventually moved far away & I never heard from her again.

So from my little experience of seeing what she went through, I can only imagine what your going through.

It's happened, you cant change this fact, you have held your hands up & taken whatever came next. Please don't let it spoil your life.

As others have said, move on from it & accept its an event in your life that's not going to define to you!

It looks like Miss An Ony Mous shopped, that is all you will ever find out.

No solicitor or court order will be able to obtain a copy of the referral letter, if it still exits.

We tend to destroy the letters once evidence is obtained to back up the referral so that it doesn't get shown at interview by accident or copied into the court papers, as handwriting and content can often tip the customer off.

i can understand why you are annoyed at the fact someone "shopped" you

but at the end of the day, you were the one at fault - and by "shopping" you, they have kind of done you a favour - as they have reduced the amount incorrectly claimed and helped you avoid getting a more serious outcome

There are many ways that Fraud can be discovered. How do you even know how your Fraud was identified? It may not have come from an anonymous source at all and may have been from a Data Match - which are where most Frauds are identified nowadays.

As stated above, most frauds are reported anonymously anyway, but even if someone did provide their name, this information would be treated as 'sensitive' by the courts and legal system, and a defence would not have access to this part of the file anyway.

i was told it was an anon tip off that's all but anyway thanks everyone for your help i'm letting it drop now

Hello again ellena.

I think that's the right thing to do, good for you. Now you can move on.

HB

Hello again ellena.

 

I think that's the right thing to do, good for you. Now you can move on.

 

HB

+1

As I totally agree with HB.

Good luck for the future!!