Hi everyone! I've been unemployed for a few years, and a few months back the DWP ( Ramsgate Benefit Integrity Centre) sent me a a large booklet to fill out, stating my finances, shares etc. Effectively, it was like a new claim form and I filled it out the same as I had done a few years ago. I ended up getting my benefits reduced because my shares, which I've previously declared, have gone up in value, and I received a letter from them confirming I would be deducted so much. So everything seemed sorted etc, or so I thought... A few weeks later, I received a letter from Ramsgate Benefit Integrity Centre asking me to send them 3 years worth of bank statements! Is this reasonable of them to ask this of me? How can they expect anyone to go into their bank, and ask them to print out a nearly forty pages of statements? Thanks in advance, Andy

I had my Income Support stopped in February 2013, I then attended 3 interviews under caution the last was in December 2013. In the last interview I was told that they were happy that the money they thought was mine had been looked into and they were happy that the money did belong to a family member. They had a letter from the bank confirming that I could not draw any of the money and that the money came from a house that was bought for me by a family member and that all the money from the sale of the house went back to the family member that it belonged to. I was told that because I had had my benefit stopped for such a long time that it would be put through as urgent and if they had all these details available at the first interview that I would have had my money back before December 2013. I received a letter from the DWP saying their decision was that I was not entitled to any money and I now owe them all the payments made from 2011 until 2013. I then received a letter the day after saying that I was no longer entitled to any Income Support as of February 2013. I phoned the department who said that it was possible that the decision maker had made the decision without having the notes from the investigator and they could only look into it if I wrote an appeal letter which I have 4 weeks from the date of the letter. Please can you give me some on advice on how I start an appeal letter. I lost my home in March 2013 and I was told by the job centre in December 2013 that it wasn't their problem they were just doing their job and I would be getting my money back ASAP.

Hi I really need advice. I feel suicidal, I am so scared. I messed up.I got a summons to appear in court in a months time. I claimed cares allowance when I wasn't working and my two sons got registered as disabled. Then I started to work, in the back of my mind I had that I couldn't work more than 16 hours. Anyway I worked for less than 10 hours for a while and gradually my hours got increased. I kept claiming carers allowance, I am very bad with money, al long as I can pay my bills I don't really look at my bills, letters or statements, until they are red. During this time, my daughter was born with meningitis, and took 2 years to recover, then my son developed epilepsy and ended up in a coma, and had huge issues at school. I worked on getting him a statement all on my own and did eventually.He's now in a special school. My other son is a chronic asthmatic and is in and out of hospital all the time, I am often very sleep deprived. And recently my daughter contracted Kawasaki desease. I have no family in the UK. My ex husband was abusive to me, and eventually we split up 2 years ago after he hit my son. I know all this sounds like excuses and maybe it is, but it has been a real struggle to hold everything together. I have at time had to go on anti-depressants, and I am on them now because of all this. I had a taped interview with my solicitor pressent and explained everything, I admitted I realised I had done wrong and agreed to pay it all back. £6992! I have been paying £100 a month back for the last 6 months. I am so scared. Will I get a criminal record, will I go to jail, will I loose my children. And if I get a friend to loan me the money and pay it back in full will it make a difference. Please don't put horrible comments on here, I know I am wrong, and all the things you call me , I call myself worse, I really need advice, please.

Hello everyone, this is my first post! I am having a total nightmare with the DWP and I am hoping someone, anyone can help. I have read enough of this forum to know that Erica is a bit of a guru so fingers crossed she will look my way. It is a little long winded and pretty complex, so bear with me if it seems I am going on a bit. I don’t think anyone can help without knowing all the details. I have done a fair amount of research already, so I know any debt with the DWP will have to be paid regardless of the limitation act. They have also politely informed me that they will simply wait for me to die and recover the debt from my estate if need be. They are very charming, don’t you think? In 1995 I was in receipt of IS and started full time education as a student. I was a little naive and carried on claiming despite receiving a grant. I got caught and quite rightly had to pay it back, £657.64. They allowed me to pay back £10 a month and I paid this 3 months running. I am a decorator by trade so did some painting during the holidays so then paid off £300 in one go. A good start, but then I moved and failed to tell them. I know, a bit stupid, but I was young and thought the problem would go away if I buried my head in the sand. Plus the stress of a decorator doing a degree made it very easy to forget. Fast forward to 2000 and I tried to get credit, but found I had a CCJ. The amount was much more than the £327 I owed and totalled £1,312. I can only assume that this was a combination of IS, HB and court costs, or just IS and court costs as the details are a little hazy. I do know that, that was the only debt I had. I had no credit cards, nor did I owe any other money. I paid off the debt and got a Certificate of Satisfaction. Two years later I bought a house and this CCJ came back to haunt me, I lost the original certificate and had to apply to the courts for another copy. Fast forward to the present day, well 5-6 weeks ago and I get a letter from the DWP demanding payment for £327. I have told them I have paid this debt and they are just not interested. They have sent the usual letters demanding payment by such and such or they will pass on the debt to a third party. I have made them aware that I know they cannot take me to court. I have also requested a SAR, which they responded to, but they sent very little info. The info only covers up until the time I moved, though the SAP readouts they sent are very revealing. There are a further 14 letters mentioned in the SAP readout that I never received and also notes indicating that the debt be passed onto a 3rd party. The problem I have is that the Certificate of Satisfaction reveals nothing. It does not mention who the creditor was, nor does the Claim Number reveal anything at the county courts. I can only assume that this is down to the 10 odd years that have passed since and the data protection act which is hindering my investigation. I am sending the SAR request form I found on this site again, as I know they have all the info I need to prove my innocence, but they are treating me like a dishonest lying toe rag. I suppose what I need to know is, · If they pass the debt on once again to a 3rd party, can they take me to court? · Can I get another CCJ for this debt? · How can I prove my innocence if they are so reluctant to help? · How can I reduce the amount of grey this whole ordeal is causing me??? I know the debt is only £327 and I could pay it with little problem, but should I really have to pay the same debt twice? It took me 5 hours alone just to find that certificate of satisfaction and I have turned my loft and house upside down. I have spent hours on the internet and the phone and the whole ordeal is making me rather ill and obsessive. Your advice would be whole heartedly welcomed...