I would love to hope that recovering an overpayment is all they'll want to do, as that would amount to less than £200 for the whole period. But finding out that I wasn't supposed to leave the country for more than 1 month at the time is what really worries me. It's there, in plain sight on all my bank statements. It would never have even occurred to me to hide it because I didn't think I was breaking the rules, so I used my card as I would when I'm home. Logic tells me what difference does it make if I'm miserable and on my own in the UK or being looked after by my family who live closer to my home than it would take to drive to Yorkshire, but the law is the law and I can't argue with that.

Thank you. That made me feel a bit better. I'm still struggling to cope with the anxiety. I like to hope for the best but be prepared for the worst: what is the absolute worst that can happen if they decide to prosecute and I don't have the resolve to build a defence case? Prison? Lose my home? I've never had any trouble with the juridical system so I am particularly anxious about being convicted and not being able to ever travel again. I have family in America and Australia that I've always wanted to visit and they won't let me in if I become a convict. Right now I feel I can't go through this and I should just plead guilty to whatever it is that they accuse me for and take the punishment, I don't have the nerves to go through with this, I feel like I'm back to the days when depression was all I knew.

I have been to the CAB and they gave me details of two law firms that deal with benefits. Apparently I could be looking at anything from them not caring much because it was only over the limit for a short while to prosecution for fraud, depending on how I play it. The problem is that I struggle to remember what I had to eat yesterday, let alone how I withdrew how much three years ago. I don't have a clue... I am very apprehensive now. I've just been to the doctors to renew my prescription for antidepressants and they also gave me some drugs for anxiety and referred me to a counselling group. They also suggested I ask for a home visit as I'm finding the thought of being in that room with the officer so overwhelming I have been physically sick when I got home.

Thank you for your post. I am going to see someone at my local CAB this afternoon and show them all my statements. They've been great, when I explained my problem to them they offered me an appointment for the same day! When I am treated like that much of the anxiety associated with leaving the hose dissipates and I feel much more comfortable. Much the opposite of how I was made to feel yesterday with the Customer Compliance officer who made me feel like a criminal.

Hi CAG, I have ME and have been on HB + JSA, IS and recently ESA as they finally accepted the diagnosis after many years of fights and several appeals. I don't leave the house much. I have received a letter inviting me in for a Customer Compliance interview which took place today. The day was running late so we only had a few minutes to discuss the reason of the interview. I thought it was because I had missed an appointment with REEDS in Partnership when I was having a bad bout and couldn't leave the house, but it turns out it's because at some point 2 or 3 years ago I had savings over the limit allowed to claim benefits. I knew the maximum savings one can have and still be entitled to HB is 16,000 - which I never reached. Upon ringing up DWP I was told that the limit for ESA is in fact lower, @ £6000. That is my bad for not educating myself properly, with all the changes in benefits I've had I have actually lost the plot about what I am entitled to and just try and make do with what they give me. The figure she had on her screen was £11,000. In actual fact, that was only for a short period of a few months about 2 or 3 years ago when a close friend moved to the UK and didn't have a bank account/flat/job yet so I stuck it in mine and let him have the card. After he used his money (about £5,000) within a few months I was always below £8000 and mostly under £6000, as I am currently. I never thought much of it and actually forgot about it till she brought it up. She asked me to go back this Thurs the 15th and produce statements for all my accounts for the past 3 years, or longer if they later decide to ask me. There is a shortfall of about £100 a month in the HB I get, so to make ends meet I've sold a lot of stuff I've accumulated over the years on ebay. I'm not talking business amounts - maybe worked out on a monthly average in a year one or two hundred pounds a month. he sales were usually motivated by the landlord telling me if I didn't catch up with rent they would serve me a notice to quit. Will they consider that money as income? My passion has always been video games, and being largely recluse at home that's all I get to do to pass time these days. I used to own vintage arcade machines and games I'd put in the house (which over 10-20 years went up in value quite a bit, who would have known!), which I sold as money ran dry to make up for the shortfall - and I still buy and sell them on ebay (I use them and then sell them on, usually for the same money I pay for them). Everything goes through my bank accounts and is documentable. I don't know if this is a good or a bad thing. Finally - and this might be the worst of all - I suffer from sever SAD and am on a lot of antidepressants, especially during the winter. Sometimes I go and spend the coldest months with my parents who have moved to France. I never really thought much about it, but when I called the DWP they said I am not allowed to leave the country for more than one month at the time, and there have been times when I was with them for the coldest part of winter, 2 to 3 months. As I'd get fed and looked after there, I could afford to use some of the ESA money to pay for the shortfall in HB and could save some money on heating bills. I never thought I was doing anything wrong so when I needed money for personal items and to help out with bills I always used my UK debit card, and the statements list that they are foreign withdrawals so they will probably ask me why at the interview? Bottom line is, I messed up on a number of things, but it was the only way I had to make ends meet. I've never done undeclared work or anything like that, but looking at the papers from an outsider's perspective it looks bad. I spoke to DWP again today being very open with them and they told me if it's only a matter of excessive savings (under £16,000), they would only deduct £1 for every £250 of savings over £6,000 per month. That's not too bad, but what if they decide all the money I got from selling my machines and buying/selling videogames is in fact an income and I have to repay all the benefits money back? They don't seem to care about what goes out but only in. My main account was overdrawn by nearly £2,000 this whole time but she said they won't consider that. I'm scared I will lose my benefits and my home, what should I do?