the investigator tried fobbing me off when i said i want the interview postponed till i get legal help, she said that im getting worried and confused over nothing (if its 'nothing y on earth are they going to so much trouble and pulling me in for an IUC???) so she was basically saying i dont need legal rep!!!! she said that this is just to establish whether or not an offence/fraud had been commited. of course i knew what her game was cos i had already read all the helpful advice every1s been posting on here. she agreed to postpone, she has to, cos the interview isnt mandatory (of course they give you the impression that it absolutely is). i requested my file about the case under the freedom of info act but she said she cant give it!!!!!!!! this IS wrong isn'nt it? how do i challenge that? anyway, things are looking a bit better cos we have found ourselves a solicitor and the appointment is next week, i'll let you know how it went. but the thing is they charge an awful lot, £500+ inc vat, and thats just for legal rep in ONE interview, so i guess i go alone? i dont really mind, i shall stick to my guns and wont let them trip me up. another thing that REALLY bothering me...cos my mum is illiterate she will need an interpreter, when the interpreter translates what the investigator is asking, s/he wont be able to say it in the exact same way the investigator asked it...r u with me so far? there WILL be differences between the 2 languages its inevitible but that can really make a huge difference and not in a good way, when my mum answers, the interpreter will translate to the investigators but once again s/he wont be able to say it in the exact same way my mum answered! i know its confusing but do u understand what im trying to explain? is there anything i can do? final question- what are the requirements of legal aid? we're not on IS or JSA, will we still get it? whats the eligibility criteria cos so far we've been told we cant get it but then when i checked online i found that we do fulfill thr criteria...do u know anything about it perhaps? thanks for ur advice, its really helpful and i SHALL be taking it on board! erm...y should i not discuss it on here? do they check? if they do than they should know it was a genuine mistake...

another thing...the council keep sendng my mum letters saying she has been 'overpaid £££ in respect of HB' and that theyd like it back without an exlanation of how it had happened and why! the cheek! honestly! anyway i wrote to them asking for a statement of reasons which they havent sent to my mum BUT they hve sent her a further 2 letter saying she needs to pay the money back! unbeleivable, n the ppl on the phone are extremely incompetent, no help at all, in fact a complete waste of time. can anyone advise me what to do??????? similar thing with CTB, they said the overpayment isnt an error but something which we should have reasonably noticed or something and OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDD i swear to u we dont know y they're saying that...all they do is confuse me further n one guy even hung up on me! they said if they can they can take it further so like with the courts n stuff. but we dont know y they think we've been overpaid cos they're not even giving us the correct amount of benefits...they're charging us full rent and CT and if you deduct my dads earnings including benefeits for day to day living expenses, we're left with £20 at the end of the week and the rent is over a hundred pounds. how can i make them see that what they're saying is not only ridiculous but actually impossible? they told us what the govt think we need for day to day living expenses which is just over £200 for the family (this money is deducted from my dads weekly income and any benefits) and they calculated my dads disposable income as £20 yet they expect him to pay over £100 in rent each week and £30 in CT!!!!! how on EARTH is that possible when theres just £20 left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hi mcnobby, im sorry to hear what you're going through. guess what? i just received a letter today telling me to go to an IUC. m getting pretty scared after reading what everyone else has said, is it true they have access to your bank statements? i think thats really wrong, not just cos of the IUC but just in general, its something personal and private. my IUC is in november cos i postponed it, said i was seeking legal help, neway i have done but unfortunately im not entitled to legal aid. my dads a cabbie n my mum is a housewife, my dad earns peanuts, more or less £80 per week, those in the industry will know just how hard it is, especially competing with black cabs (my dad just has a normal car) cos most people prefer the black cabs dont they? not me! i like buses! its about undecalred savings, it was my fault, i did the app form n assumed that since were applying for HB n CTB my mum hasnt got no savings (mums illiterate). recived a letter a few weeks later saying they have reason to beleive we commited an offence...it was a bit of a shock...i felt like bursting in to tears cos i realised it was my fault, i just got my mum to sign the form...she had no idea. i sent them loads of letters saying it was a genuine mistake but they still want to do the interview.fine. but the thing is, cos my mum is illiterate, im scared that she could incriminate herself without knowing cos a lot of ppl have posted threads saying stuff about that. im ok i guess, i sort of no now that they have like a game plan n will b takn a notebook n pen so i can think about my answer before opening my mouth n i'd encourage any1 in the same position to do the same. take ur time n write ur answer, trust me the slightest thing can make u look bad...dont rush it...take ur time...remember there is no time limit...and DO NOT GIVE DETAILED ANSWERS...KEEP IT AS BREIF AS POSSIBLE...dont give them anything else to go on cos u HAVE to REMEMBER that they're bringing you in for an IUC cos they want further evidence to convict/prosecute u. dont say anything that can land u in it further. things r luking pretty bad cos we dont have any legal rep so far and beleive me i have been on the phone non stop...yesterday things seemed better cos i took down a few numbers n called a few ppl but today everyones saying things i dont to hear. im in despair...it feels like its over before its even begun...oh and i requested my file n anything they have on the case under the freedom to info act but the woman said shes not obliged to give it...she said she cant give me anything cos its a criminal investigation...is this right? it really was an honest mistake...first and last time i fill in a claims form tho! not sure what to do...no legal rep and i dont much fancy the whole 'no comment' idea, cos i read somewhere that this can be seen as an admission of guilt. im really angry wit myself...i feel so horrible for putting my mum thru this...they're gonna treat her like a criminal...me too...but i dont care about me cos its my fault anyway:cry: cos its an IUC...is it a criminal record that i'll have? if any1 could offer any advice i would be soooooo grateful cos right now im in the depths of despair...x