My bank accused me of fraud when I deposited a perfectly legal cheque. The police were called & I have been cleared of all charges. I am really angry as the cheque had already been approved by another branch of the same bank 2 days earlier ( i waited for a better currency rate) The ombudsman & the FCA dont want to know & i am financially out of pocket. Can i take my bank to court? if so how!!!!

I have a question for you legal eagles, but first an outline. Recently there was a case of a DCA trying to collect CC debt of £3000 escalated to £8000 by interest. There never was an agreement, only an application which has never been found or presented in any form A DCA tried to obtain this debt by threatening court action. The chap replied do your worst. Court action started. The DCA then sent him some interest summaries and a Credit card agreement between him and a company he had never heard of. This agreement was undated and unsigned. They threatened to send these to court unless he agreed to pay up. He wrote back and asked who this company was, and where was the assignment. They sent him an assignment signed by the - what they thought was the original creditor but on the DCA’s headed notepaper. A complete fabrication. He did and said no more. He barred the phone calls from the DCA’s solicitor. He went to the court to contest the case, but the DCA had withdrawn and there was no case. My question is: Has this DCA committed an offence in trying to obtain money fraudulently under the 2006 fraud act section 2 (fraud by false representation), Which goes on to say: (1)A person is in breach of this section if he— (a)dishonestly makes a false representation, and (b)intends, by making the representation— (i)to make a gain for himself or another, or (ii)to cause loss to another or to expose another to a risk of loss. (2)A representation is false if— (a)it is untrue or misleading, and (b)the person making it knows that it is, or might be, untrue or misleading. (3)“Representation” means any representation as to fact or law, including a representation as to the state of mind of— (a)the person making the representation, or (b)any other person. (4)A representation may be express or implied. (5)For the purposes of this section a representation may be regarded as made if it (or anything implying it) is submitted in any form to any system or device designed to receive, convey or respond to communications (with or without human intervention). Problem: The DCA had come to obtain information about an existing unenforceable debt. It had no agreement, application form or any documents to show how the debt was incurred. It started to pursue this chap for the debt. It is quite obvious that the agreement was a false representation as was the assignment. If this chap had not been on the ball he may have just paid up, but he smelled a rat. Now this would appear to be a tactic used by this DCA to frighten people to pay a debt which is unenforceable, but used deceit to make gains or tried to obtain money knowing that it had made false representation. This DCA tried to con this chap into paying, they must use other similar tactics with other people, but are they committing an offece? What do you think?

I purchased a 16-25 return ticket to destination B from A, via an actual person at the window - even they looked at my travel card. It wasn't until my return journey I looked at my rail card, to find it was out of date.. (Haven't used in around a month). The date was printed "18 APR 2015" (I've just checked this online) The 18 was very faded with the 2015 being only slightly visible.. . My instant thought was "oh no, I'm going to get in some serious trouble for this", I stupidly decided to get a pencil from my bag and change the year to 2016 (only visible numerals) Upon ticket inspection, the inspector questioned the year, to which I just put my hands up straight away - of course he took details.. I admitted to this via a statement and made my sign this admission statement, whilst taking my railcard/ticket etc. I know I'm in trouble and I'm not looking for sympathy, I'm just trying to establish the LIKELY course of action.. . I presume they will write to me asking for my account of events? My questions are: 1) The best possible situation is out of court settlement - ADVICE FOR THIS PLEASE? How do go about asking this? What would make them want to pick this? Do I await correspondence and then send a letter with apologies and an offer (should I make an actual offer or let them propose such)? 2) The scenario of them looking to prosecute for fraud - what's the likelihood of this? I understand what I've done is fraudulent, however I haven't replicated/manufactured a ticket or pass in order to evade completely, somewhat mitigating? IF it did go for this, what would be the probable outcomes? Again, thank you all for your opinions and feedback - you all seem to have a much more educated understanding of this sort than most, so I look forward to more input..

Hi all, Please go gently on me I am new to benefits and now find myself in a very unfortunate position with no one to turn to. I will try not to waffle but some background may help. Please do read this even though it’s long as I really do need some help, desperately. I’m male mid 40s and have held down well paid high pressure employment all of my life. Over the past 6-7 years I have had several mental struggles. I tried a sabbatical of three months Dec 2013 - Mar 2014 and took off traveling. This was without claiming any benefits. I returned in early March 2014 to full time employment and it soon became clear to friends and family I was not well. I have only recently realised the magnitude of this. I was drinking heavily and during a moment of madness (totally out of character) was arrested for drunk driving! This cost me my job, home and everything. Whilst I have much remorse for this episode I actually believe it was a blessing in disguise. Fast forward to several doctors and DWP interviews and I am now on a waiting list for counselling. My mood is generally pretty down and I am a shadow of my former extrovert self. I suffer depression, anxiety and fear strangers. Sleep is not good and I lack any motivation. I am the person I would have always said pull yourself together to, however I just can’t seem to… Before my breakdown and loss of employment I had a friend (female) who was buying a flat in South Wales. She had suggested I rent from her, as it was more affordable than where I was currently renting and would also cut down on much of my driving, and associated stress. This I agreed. She (unknown to me at the time) was also concerned for my wellbeing. I moved into the flat and she would stay over the odd night. The rest of the time she was off doing her own thing. I paid a month and a bit up front, however she did not require a deposit. We did not have a formal rent agreement in place at the start. All utilities inc. council tax were in her name, and I paid a fixed monthly all inclusive rent. This was fine for the first few weeks, then everything went horribly wrong for me, and thus my landlady. Cut a long story short I received dual occupancy HB, and no help regarding CT. This was because I explained at my initial HB meeting the landlady was a personal friend, and occasionally stayed over. It is a one bedroom flat and she would sleep on the sofa. The council then hit her with a backdated demand for CT from the date I moved in saying we both lived there! This she paid as her protests fell on deaf ears. I also receive ESA plus PIP enhanced care, no mobility. My friend the landlady has also become my carer and honestly without her help I would be lost I feel unable to go anywhere without her present. She does not receive money for this as her earnings are too high, something like anything over £105 a week? She does however offer me incredible support.. This may seem a dramatic thing to say but honestly without her I am not sure I would still be here. My landlady was investigated on a totally separate issue by trading standard sometime before Christmas 2014. Her laptop was taken and whilst there was no case for her to answer the officers had seen some emails between us regarding a very unfortunate event which happened before I moved into the property. They added 2 + 2 and came up with something well over 90 and decided my claim for HB was fraudulent as they believed (very wrongly) we were in a relationship! They also had copies of texts we have sent eachother and we often sign off love you or such but I used to do that with my rugby mates it’s simply an expression. The council interviewed my landlady but not me as they would not allow her present for support in my interview and did not arrange anyone else. My current situation which has been since Dec 2014 and the council are fully aware of is I live in the flat and my landlady and friend is my carer. She is here now 2-3 nights a week as she looks after me. However they stopped all my HB about three months ago and when I asked for a statement of reason they say it is non-commercial. We did however draw up and sign a rental agreement, however they said they did not need to see it at the begining, and have not asked to see it since. They also sent me conflicting letters as to why! They also say my landlady said we were in a relationship when they interviewed her, this she absolutely did not! There is a huge age gap and she wants marriage kids etc. I can’t have more children (I have one) and as for marriage, never again. Apparently as of 1st June 2015 my ‘case’ has moved from the council to the DWP, and I have heard nothing. I feel incredibly guilty for my landlady as she is in an impossible position. I feel the only hope is for her to make me homeless and then seek help elsewhere, however I am afraid of losing her much needed support. I have done a lot of research and even as joint occupancy, in our particular circumstances I believe we should only pay 50% CT as I am classed disabled and she is my carer. I believe the council have a legal duty to engage with people with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, identified as being relevant to the policy? This would include in my particular case a person who has a mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on that person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. You can get a 50% discount off your bill if you and all the other occupiers are disregarded. For a full list, see the Disability Rights Handbook. Those who are disregarded include people who are considered to be ‘severely mentally impaired’ and carers. My biggest concern however is HB, as without it I lose any hope I have of rebuilding in the future. Please could someone offer me some advice in this matter as to say I am going out of my mind would be an understatement. I just want to put this whole thing behind me and get on with sorting my life, however I simply cannot. There is no contact from council or DWP and I am left in limbo not knowing if/when this will be resolved. In addition my landlady has bills which I am concerned for, however she is also very sympathetic, and as such I am not sure she would say I have to leave. Perhaps I should just sleep downstairs in the lobby and have her phone the council? The really stupid thing is they would most likely pay full HB and help with CT if I rented from another person. This seems contradictory to both my care needs and their (plus you’re the tax payers) best financial interest! I hope the above makes some sense, really hope someone can help. Thank you.

I brought a car from honda in may 2004, it was a a ex show room car, and I was offered £1000 off the price of the car . How ever Honda finance increased their interest rate from 11.9% to 12.9% to get the cash back from the £1000 discount from the car. Also the copy of the consumer credit agreement I was given is unsigned by honda finance , so would i be correct in that its a unenforcable CCA cheekyone

In July 2009 I was interviewed under caution for benefit fraud 2006-2008. I was divorced finally in July 2006. September 2009, the local Magistrate pinged the case to the regional magistrate. October 2009, the regional magistrate dismissed the case. April 2010, the County Court Judge said: "Not Guilty of any benefit fraud" November 2011, the DWP Debt Collection wrote to me to claim the amount of the benefit fraud. November 2011, my solicitor wrote to the DWP, you have waited nineteen months before raising the matter again and the fraims guidelines are for eighteen months. The reply then was, civil and criminal are different. I am now waiting May 2015, for my Tier 2 letter stating "Final Written Response" having gone through Tier 1 in the last couple of months as according to the DWP no complaint had ever been lodged. ( I think my solicitor's letter in 2011 rather implies otherwise ) The Independent Case Examiner wants this DWP letter as well. As I understand it the DWP are arguing a "Not Guilty" at a Criminal Hearing does not also cover the civil side of things. Well maybe, and hence my post, but the thing is, according to my bank statements Jan 2006 to April 2006 there are no payments of Income Support as alleged. The assertion from the DWP is I had over £16,000 in savings and not entitled to any benefits. The money in the account was put there by my now late uncle and my now late father for the purposes of a property conversion by them to provide a bedroom for my wheel chair bound father. So yes the bank account in my name for a few months had a lot of money in it before paying the builder but not once the money had been paid out. The DWP have seen the conversion from outside of the property (2009). I have no problem defending the matter in a civil court ( not that the DWP have suggested that ), they have to date kept asking for the amount of their criminal case with no regard to the fact that they did not pay all they have asserted. I could tell back in 2010 the County Court Judge was far from impressed especially since he could not find all the alleged payments on my bank statements. So here is my question: Can a *Criminal* *County Court* Judge say "Not Guilty of *any* benefit fraud" and that is the decision or are the choice of his words misleading. A more advanced question is what if any evidence can the DWP bring back from a failed criminal case where all benefit payments ceased over seven years ago.

Hi Please don't judge me, I honestly cannot take anymore! In 2012 I applied for DLA on the advise of my GP, I had (and still have) urinary incontinence and inability to know when I need the toilet due to a back injury sustained at work. I also am in extreme pain whenever I move (but I guess this may be different to the level of pain another person may have with the same condition), can't get dressed, in or out of bed, need supervising when I first take my painkillers (about 20-30 minutes after), struggle to get out of chairs (need someone there to make sure it doesn't tip most of the time, sometimes needing to be assisted out of it), and also have to frequently stop when walking, about 200 meters before I can't walk anymore for between 3-5 minutes rest. In addition I can't bend to wash my legs or feet so have support here, cannot sit for long periods, or stand so frequently alter my positions. I also cannot get on or off toilets, so this with not knowing when I need to go means I temper my drinking. The DWP wrote to my GP for his opinion on my condition, and his report was sent back. I didn't know about this until the whole DWP investigation started last year. They used this to form the basis of the award for high rate mobility and middle rate care. I had been working in a nightclub but couldn't do this, so took a job as a supervisor in a restaurant, mainly meeting and greeting customers and directing people to their tables. They were fully aware at interview of my problems. I had time off due to my back (about 3 months) which is when I applied for DLA. I went back to work after having an operation on my back, and had a return to work interview. All was going well, customers helping me (I have copies of online discussions with a customer who knew about my back and mentioned how much I was struggling. I was then dismissed after a customer complaint about how slow my service was! I then took a job as an assistant manager in a pub, which was due to be closed for refurbishment might I add, and was there 2 months, during which they were closed for 6 weeks. The other 2 weeks I was expected to once again meet and greet guests for breakfast, put their order through and so forth. 8 rooms and NEVER had more than 8 guests, and I was never working on my own. During the refit I was responsible for the paperwork side of the business, phoning potential clients and filing all paperwork. I left there and went to work for a building society as this was more sedentary and my back was still really unreliable. I drove my nephew in most days and he walked slowly with me to the building, and on days when he wasn't with me there were always people around on the pedestrianized areas- I need to have someone around in case my right leg gives was which when it does always results in a stumble and fall, from which I cannot get up. This does not have to be someone I know, as DLA pays if I need someone not necessarily have someone right? I left there in January last year just before this investigation started. The DWP are alleging that I lied on my initial application form as nobody watches over me for the whole day (I have stated that I need help early morning and late at night, if I go to the toilet, and to help with chairs and to help me get up if I fall, not that I need continual supervision) and have statements from people I work with saying they either didn't know about my disability, even though I have emails saying differently, or facebook conversations to again show they did. They have a statement from a neighbour saying she apparently saw me out walking to the shops (I have a car and if it was just before the investigation it was winter so why would anyone walk?) and a statement from the investigating officer saying that I walked on my own to the interview room at the Job Centre. I questioned this as I was with my solicitor but they responded and said he didn't support me, his letter written on my behalf states he did hold my arm to steady me. The DWP have not sent CPS any of my medical evidence they are in receipt of (original GP information they requested, Harley Street consultant, Pain management specialist, Capita medical orthopaedic surgeon, 2 ATOS medicals for my IIDB (apparently not affected despite the two forms being filled out with the same details!) and a letter from my current GP stating how my disability affects me. They have also said to the CPS that the award was made solely on the details on my claim form, and signed to say they have not held anything back from CPS. Except they have. They have negated to inform them I lodged an appeal against their decision over 6 months ago, have supplied evidence the investigating officer has admitted tampering with, and also altered a statement that in the bundles sent to the appeal judge was 2 pages but said it was one, it now says it is two. DWP were aware of this issue as I complained as it made me question if the statement had been added to. They also sate that I said in my IUC that my condition had improved (I have the tapes and I didn't) but then go on to say I state that it has worsened. Confusing! I'm pleading not guilty, as my condition is worse (they now think I have ankylosing spondylitis) and without my interference (as the DWP have alleged) my GP fully corroborated what effect my disability has on me. The DWP have said they are not denying I have a disability but surely by saying that it doesn't affect me at all, they are! Their key evidence appears to be facebook posts I made (and supplied to them) where I said that my Mum's dog had managed a full walk home with no pulling and I wondered if he'd do the same the next day, and a second saying I loved late night walks with the dog - my Mum was walking him both times, and I was sat in the car watching the last one. I have explained this but it is irrelevant apparently. I asked the DWP to obtain CCTV from places I had worked to prove I wasn't lying, this was not done and the time frame for CCTV gathering ran out - how is this fair? I can't obtain it due to the DPA, but they could have! I guess what I want to know is what happens next? I am seeing a solicitor 18/03/15 and will be taking ALL evidence, including the bits the DWP have negated to supply to CPS (or have ignored their use of) but do I have a strong defence? Would a Magistrate be interested in the errors they made in the investigation resulting in evidence that in my opinion would have exonerated me? Thank you for any help in this matter - I am stressed beyond belief and had an ambulance called to me last night with me having chest pains. I am doing a Uni course that would result in me being a teacher, but if I get a guilty conviction I am screwed!

Hello everyone, I could really do with some advice and help on this matter. My current girlfriend has been having a nightmare of a time with her Ex-Boyfriend. To cut a long story short they were together for 7 years, had a joint mortgage and a joint current account with Halifax. Turns out the ex was a gambling addict, he stole money from her, opened credit cards using her information and financially abused her. Eventually she left him. She moved back in with her parents 17 months ago, rang Halifax (her mortgage lender) and told them her new address which they updated on their systems. Halifax refused to take her name off the joint account, even though she was clearly not using it (she has never used it). Meanwhile her ex has been using it as his current account as he is not able to get any more lines of credit due to him defaulting on the mortgage payments. My girlfriend never got statements from them for the mortgage and assumed he was still paying the mortgage (he was still living at their jointly owned property). However, he hadnt been paying and it is now 14k in arrears. When she found this out she rang halifax to discuss her options and they said "Tough tits, you have to pay the arrears". My GF couldnt afford this, as the mortgage payments were £800.00 a month contractually, she couldnt afford this never mind extra to clear the arrears. But they werent interested, they didnt ask her for an I and E form, they didnt give her any support or help or offer any solutions. This is my first problem., the complete lack of empathy and support from the bank The second problem we have only just found out about (my gf went back to her house they are trying to sell to clean it and found the letters from halifax) is that her ex has been requesting indemnity claims on all the direct debits that have ever been paid from the account, getting the refunds and then transferring the money into his own nationwide account. I am fuming, Halifax have never sent my gf a statement to her parents house even though they have her address and she has requested them on numerous occaisions! She had no idea this was going on. Halifax even told her there was no way she could ever get her name taken off the account unless her ex went into the bank and signed for it which was never going to happen. She has been into a branch today and made a complaint, she was told she would have to pay off the £1700 overdraft if she wanted to be taken off the account. Her parents have kindly paid it for her and they have closed down the current account. I work for a bank myself and I am absolutely fuming with Halifax, they have allowed her ex to commit fraud by falsely claiming these direct debits back, surely somebody at that bank has failed to spot these suspicious transactions?! He has claimed thousands of pounds worth of direct debits back from Sky, Abbey, Black horse, General and Legal etc etc etc. The black horse one is the worst, as this wasnt even paid from the Halifax account it was paid from my gfs own nationwide current account in full and he has somehow claimed this back into the halifax account. It was for a sofa in my gf's name! It had nothing to do with him. He must have pretended to be her to be able to do this. I am furious. :-x:-x:-x What if anything can we do about this? He has gained a financial advantage by dishonestly claiming the direct debits were not authorized, surely Halifax should be taking this matter very seriously as their systems and personnel have failed to spot this and stop it. I know that all bank employees have a legal responsibility to report suspicious transactions and failing to do so can lead to fines and sanctions by the regulator. What if he was using these funds to commit criminal activity? or fund terrorist activities? I also find it strange that after she has been into the bank and complained they have suddenly changed their tune and agreed to close the account, is this an admittance of wrongdoing on their part? I really need some support and guidance as I cannot believe my girlfriend should have to pay financially for all of his wrongdoing and deceit. The money from black horse was £1700 and that was my girlfriends money, obviously they are going to want that back. He has literally stolen it from her! sorry for the long post but i am at a loss with what our options are, after 10 years working in the banking industry i have never seen anything like this. Edit: Oh FYI, her ex is a mortgage advisor for another high profile retail bank, and has lots of experience working for a retail bank, he knows how their systems work, he knows what indemnity claims are and how they work, he knew exactly what he was doing. The little ******. Thank you all so much.

Don't know if this is the correct forum, so feel free to move if necessary. So I got two seperate letters from Standard Life pensions. One was a standard single letter and another more detailed set of letters accompanied with a terms and conditions booklet. Apparently someone has set up a pension using my address (but a different name). What do? I am not going to ring up some £3 minute line, plus the Standard Life website has 3 phone numbers and none of them match the employeezone.co.uk one on the letters. The employeezone.co.uk one doesn't match the one on the letters either. I am not going to talk to someone trying to divulge my personal details just to let them know something is odd since they may be the point. I have scanned the letters and removed any details if you want to look at them here: Also I don't want to have my address on some black list, or go through stringent checks just for being a victim of fraud. What is the best course of action? Hi, I've attached the PDF with all the scans. Hopefully someone using my address is a mistake of some sort but I doubt it. edit: The persons date of birth (but blacked out by me) is before I lived at this address, but I've been living at the same address for around 30 years and the persons birthdate is only 1-3 years before that. Doubt they would be registering anything back to this address, assuming the persons details are even legit.

I've been recently charged with Fraud by false representation (1st offence), for returning a low value (under £50) clothing item to a store for a refund. A week after this, I was arrested because the shop claimed the item wasn't their stock and tags were placed by mistake. This was purchased from their online store if that matters. Now I have a Magistrates' Court hearing and will be pleading not guilty. I am scared for my life and how I will be able to argue my innocence but will demand a trial by jury, which will drag this process for much longer and make it very costly for myself. Any thoughts and suggestions please?

Hi. I have heard good things about this forum and a friend of mine advised me to sign up to seek a bit of advice about my situation. I may waffle on a bit in this post and some things may seem irrelevant but its just because I'm trying to cover everything I have just been through in my police interview :/ At 8.30am I was knocked out of bed and promptly arrested/ I knew what it was all about and cooperated fully, even offering up my online bank details as I don't keep paper statements. Going back to January, I was in a right mess. I had had money stolen from me, I was in rent arrears, I owed a loan shark 580 quid. At this time and still to this day I am on disability benefits..so not a lot of income really. This guy was at my door constantly, I had borrowed £300 off him a few months back to feed my gambling addiction (stupid I know) and he never threatened me in as many words, but he is seriously intimidating and just kept saying if I didn't pay in a couple of days there would be serious consequences. I had no way of accessing that kind of money quickly, so I decided to pretty much steal it from someone else to save my own skin. I listed an item on ebay that I didnt own, and had someone pay for it by paypal (as I know paypal refund things that dont arrive and I would just end up with a negative paypal balance that I could pay off whenever ..they would be unlikely to come knocking on my door for it) so yeah, I got the money, paid the guy and that was going to be the end of it. The buyer got a refund from paypal within 5 days Then I noticed an item for sale near me on gumtree, for seriously cheap. I was still having financial troubles at this stage so I planned to sell this item for more, then buy it from the person on gumtree to send to the buyer..if that makes sense. Kind of reselling but the wrong way round. However, paypal started blocking funds, long story short this guy ended up paying me by bank transfer, however he didnt pay the full amount as he didnt have paypals protection. .he was going to pay the rest on receipt of the item, and I didnt have the extra 100 or so to put to it to actually buy the item. What I should have done at this point was come clean and refund him, but I instead..decided that he would find a way of getting refunded off the bank I spent the money. Mostly on gambling. The more money I gambled, the more I HAD to gamble, so I did this to another 2 people.. .this time listing the items solely with the aim of getting someone to offer to pay by anything bar paypal. The total fraud is around 2k. Around 600 or so altogether was spent on clothing and bills, the rest gambled away. I don't need people to tell me how stupid and dishonest I have been, I know this already. I got a call about a month ago from nationwide telling me that one guy was getting his cash back and it would be removed from my account, which was fine. It would leave my balance negative, but I have had unarranged overdrafts before and know banks tend to be ok about letting you pay small bits weekly/monthly. I waited for the calls about the other 2 people but they never came. today I got arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation. Was in a cell for a bit then got my interview during which I gave all information I possibly could about the situation. I even disclosed one 'victim' of mine that the police did not know about. I have been bailed and have to go back in a month. My question is this really. .what charges can I expect to come from this? I accept I have done wrong, have offered to pay back and everything but I know I will still get some form of sentencing :/

me and my partner moved in together in July 2014 and i have forgotten to let tax credits know to change to a joint claim (Only realised today) my partner works full time and brings home around 1400 a month. Were in loads of debt as it is My anxiety is kicking in overdrive thinking im going to get fined and sent to prison! I havent phoned tax credits yet as im petrafied. any advice would be great

Parliament is to consider plans to more than double the maximum administrative penalty for benefit fraud from £2,000 to £5,000. Want to know more please read HERE

First things first—and let's make this very clear—Apple Pay has not been hacked. It does, however, appear that Apple's introduction of the contactless payment system has helped some [problem]mers commit credit card fraud. If you have never used Apple Pay, here's a video made by The Verge last year showing how you set it up, and how you make mobile payments with it. Seems simple, right? And, unfortunately, the way that [problem]mers can take advantage of Apple Pay appears to be remarkably simple too. Did you see the part in the video where the guy adds a new card to Apple Pay? He chooses to do it the way most people will choose to do it—by taking a photo of a card and allowing it to scan in the credentials (such as the long card number, expiry date, etc.). However, you can also choose to enter those details manually, which means you don't have to have physical access to a card to add it to Apple Pay. Charles Arthur, writing for The Guardian, mers"]explains the issue further: Apple’s support pages for the service says: “When you add a credit or debit card to Apple Pay... Apple sends the encrypted data, along with other information about your iTunes account activity and device (such as the name of your device, its current location, or if you have a long history of transactions within iTunes) to your bank. Using this information, your bank will determine whether to approve adding your card to Apple Pay.” US banks are using a “green path” for cards they approve straight away on such data, and a “yellow path” for cards requiring more checks. But some banks have made the task too simple by asking callers to verify their identity with the last four digits of their social security number (SSN). And therein lies the problem. It appears that the authentication methods used by the bank to confirm whether a credit card should be added to Apple Pay is proving too easy for fraudsters to waltz around—whether it be via requesting digits from a social security number (which online criminals may also have been able to steal, as they are frequently grabbed by hackers) or having the iPhone owner ring a call center to authenticate themselves. Mobile payments specialist, Cherian Abraham, writes that fraud enabled by Apple Pay is "rampant." Ironically, according to Abraham, Apple Stores are frequently targeted: These are organized crime rings that are handing out pre-provisioned devices to mules that are then being used to commit fraud – with much of fraud (for some issuers) – occurring around Miami,FL and Dallas,TX. Prepaid cards unsurprisingly are a tool of choice as they can be quickly converted to cash or goods – and subsequently, untraceable. What was surprising to hear was how many times Apple stores themselves popped up as the store of choice for the fraudster – and yet unsurprising, due to its nature as a luxury retailer. There is a certain irony in one compromised Apple Pay device paying for another – only to be drafted subsequently in to the fraudsters service. The answer, therefore, seems not to be to beef up the security of Apple Pay—but for Apple and the banks to ensure that stronger methods are used to authenticate a card holder really *is* who they say they are, when they try to add a card to Apple Pay. Until that happens, chances are that fraudsters will continue to find ways to make purchases using your credit card, with a little help from a (no doubt stolen) iPhone.

Due to the DWP and relevant agencies' getting tougher on benefit crime it may pay you to have a read on what and how you could be reported/charged if an offence came to light and the DWP/others decide to prosecute you. This link shows what offence/s you could be charged with. There are other offences that could/may be laid against you as well see here http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/v_to_z/welfare_rural_and_health_cases/ What you also have to remember if you are prosecuted for benefit fraud and convicted you could also be dealt with under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (PoCA) see here http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/29/contents if you have profited from your crime you may find that you maybe subject to a recovery order see here http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/29/part/5/chapter/4/crossheading/recoverable-property With the introduction of all agencies being able to cross reference your claim/ID/credit file and with each other, it is making it harder to get away with and/or profit from this type of crime. The penalties are getting severe and the DWP/CPS are now beginning to put more cases before the Courts. See here http://www.scoop.it/t/lacef-news you will need to scroll through some of the stories to see the relevant cases. What could start out as simply not telling the DWP/others of a change of circumstances could cause you the claimant a whole heap of trouble. This post is for information so you can see what you can expect if this applies to you the claimant.

here is the story. On Saturday (25th Oct), early in the morning I was heading towards the Tube station in London and I saw some fella heading towards me. He then stopped and offered me his paper railcard, saying that he's done with travelling for the day and kindly offered me to take his card. I accepted this as an act of kindness from the stranger and continued walking towards the station. Since I got a valid rail card, my initial intent to top up my existent Student Photocard Oyster was foregone. The rail card worked perfectly and was actually valid till the end of the next day (weekly pass, worth 57 pounds). Unluckily for me, in the station that I got off, I was stopped by an inspector. I gave him this railcard I had received and he asked for a photocard associated with this travel pass. I explained the situation to the investigator that I do not have it and I was given this card by a stranger outside the tube station. He then said that this is illegal and I haven't paid for my travel. He also mentioned, that this card may be fake, which I was absolutely unaware of. He also scanned my Student Oyster (there was 80p only) and took my details from there, and took notes on his notebook (Qs and As). At the end he said that I should receive a letter shortly with either a warning, a fine or a prosecution. I am panicking and stressing hell of a lot. I am a master's graduate from prestige University and also am a financialist by a profession. I want to avoid criminal record at any cost as it may ruin my life and career. Please advise on the most obvious outcome and what should I do next?? Also, I was not asked to sign anything by the inspector and was let to continue with my journey.

So I was talking to someone today that bought a two bedroom flat a few months ago,before he bought it the previous owner filled in the home owners paperwork stating that the property had never had any problems with the roof,repairs etc. During the recent heavy winds here in Scotland some of the slates came off the roof,it has now been found from the management company that the roof was previously repaired as some of the slates had blown off. Does the present owner have any redress aagainst the previous owner now regards fraudulently filling in the paperwork?

Hi. Last year I was seriously ill in hospital. Social services became involved and my mum and dad looked after my son. He then because a looked after child/in care but under my mum and dads care. My son has still stayed with me two nights a week and comes round most days. Because of this, child benefit continued as he was still with me some of the time. I assumed that the same applied with child tax credits so continued to claim, and have continued buying his clothes, paying nursery fees etc. he has a room in my house and I have also paid for his clubs and toys etc. However today I randomly stumbled upon a link that said that although child benefit continued if I had him at least two nights a week and contributed to his upbringing, I was unable to claim child tax credits because the local authority pay my parents a small sum of money each week. This means I have wrongly claimed for a year and I can't believe how stupid I have been. I don't know what to do, obviously I'm Ringing then Tomo morning to to tell them that I'm not entitled and that I wrongly claimed but it's a genuine mistake. Will they just let me pay the money back or will I be prosecuted and have a criminal record? I am so so worried and have worries over my health as it is, and I honestly never meant to do this. I'm so Embarrassed and humiliated. Ang advice please.

I have been a carer for years and have received Carers Allowance legitimately all this time, or so I thought. In 2013 I landed a 15 hr contract and double checked I didn't do any more than I was entitled to. I kept the Carers up to date and three months later was re-awarded the allowance. Slowly, things changed. I would do an odd four hour shift extra each month or something, still not putting me over, or so I thought..... then I was asked to train as a Supervisor. All this at the same time as my husband was taken very ill. I took my eye off the ball. Work began to demand more and more of me, but I always explained I was a carer and told them I couldn't do anymore than a couple of hours extra each month. But they always asked for more. In December last year I realised I was well over that month - about £90 for that month and this corresponded with my husbands surgery.... again, eye off the ball. Just been paid for Jan this year and realised it was well over and decided to contact Carers as I would have to pay back that months money. They proceeded to explain 50p over was too much and I had not been entitled since November. That's when I made the horrifying discovery that I had consistently gone over, sometimes by a lot but most times by a couple of £'s.... Iv'e broken the law!!!!!!!!! I am utterly heartbroken and very confused and scared to death frankly...... I shall call them first thing to explain that it is worse than I first thought. They have already suspended my Carers and so now I have asked for extra shifts to make up the short fall!!!! What shall I do?! And will I be prosecuted?!

Hi, Im new here so not sure if this subject has already been covered. It is about a friend of mine and it is a bit complicated situation. She is the appointee of her adult disabled daughter. She has received a letter from JCP tattled: Notification of Local Service Compliance Office Interview. She has couple of ISA accounts under her name and her daughter's name. The saving is actually the daughter's father who doesn't leave in the UK. She is really scared that the JCP and DWP would not accept it and accuse her of benefit fraud . Is that the same as interview under caution? Should she go to the interview and explain everything or she needs a solicitor?

My son received a letter from Lending Stream for a payment for a loan that was so say opened up in 2011 that he knew nothing about it seems someone had opened a bank account in his name then this company loaned them cash on line. We were told to report this to the police and give them a crime number which we did.In 2014 he received a letter for this loan now from a Mackenzie Hall we then contacted Action Fraud and gave Mackenzie Hall the number and again thought it was all over. He now has received a letter from PRA Group demanding this cash we are doing all we are asked to do but this debt is continuing to be sold on surely this is not right.

Hi there, My girlfriend lives with her parents and sister and has done all her life. She currently receives income support due her low income/hours worked. I'm her boyfriend of 9 months but we do not live together. I stay at her parents house 1-2 times a month at the most due to her shift pattern and my university studies. She received a letter a couple of days ago from Concentrix (working on behalf of DWP) informing her that: They believe she has a partner and is committing fraud by claiming income support as a single person They have evidence, proving she's living with her partner Upon phoning Concentrix/DWP, they've informed her that they will not disclose the evidence and have requested she sends them her bank statements for the last 12 months and has to prove she's single. My questions, Why do they need her bank statements? They know what her payments are and the statements give no indication that she lives with a partner. DWP can't pursue potential legal proceedings without disclosing their evidence... so how can they refuse to produce it now? especially since my girlfriend has no case to answer. I've since come across lots of reports of people receiving the same letter. However, they all have been married or had a owned/rented a house with their partner. In my girlfriends case, she's never lived elsewhere or had a boyfriend living with her parents. I look forward to your comments. Andrew

Hi. I would like some help please. My daughter has had seen payment taken from her account by companies who she has never had dealings with. She complained to the bank and they told her that 1: All Direct debits would be cancelled. 2: She would be refunded the money for fraudulent use. 3: Any charges would be waived for matters arising from this. Unsurprisingly they lied. We believe that somebody hacked/stole details and put them on a loan companies search website. My daughter does not use loans as she has me as her loan facility if needed. The bank subsequent to this destroyed my daughters card and issued another. Then we were told that they were going to claw back approx £140 of the fraudulent transactions. They then bounced a DD TV Licence (after informing us they had cancelled them all) So this took her overdrawn and they apply a penalty charge of £10 per day. They have now authorised another £140 (of fraudulent payments) on this account. My daughter is a single parent with 2 Children living on DLA and benefits and housing allowance all of which the bank is either paying to fraudsters or gobbling up in charges. Assistance would be greatly be appreciated

My husband received a letter inviting him for interview under caution for benefit fraud. The only benefit he gets are high rate DLA and middle rate care. He was in a road accident in 2007 in which his vertibrae collapsed, it was too riaky too operate (90% chance of being paralised) so neuro surgeon treated him with a massive dose of steroids to release it from his spine, thus solved the main problem but left him with lasting nerve damage in his hands and feet, and severe pain constantly. Then in about 2011 he started getting pain in his left groin doctor told him it was a pulled muscle, the pain worsened and then he started falling over for no reason really bad balance issues, people thought he was drunk! So he had an X-ray and was referred to a specialist who diagnosed avascular narcosis which is crumbling of the bones, which led to a hip replacement(he was only 47 yrs old), and was told the other hip would need doing in the next few years too. Then he started to get pain in his left shoulder, turns out its in all his joints so he had shoulder replacement early 2013. He was already claiming DLA at this point it was his only income, he went back to work at the end of 2013 informed DLA who made him fill in a new form, which he did and it came back with the same award no change. He is currently waiting for results on a test to see if the new shoulder is infected and has got too come out for three months to treat the infection! We both work full time and we're not aware that he couldn't claim DLA as it is not means tested so can't understand why he is being investigated, can anyone give us any advice his IUC is next week.

hello i have been working for abt 3 months and it the socail about 8 months to take me to court for fraud now due to my health i need to go back on the sick can i still claim esa even though iam getting done for fraud please dont judge me i was in a very bad place when i done and i didnt do it for a life of luxarey thou so can anyone help me please x