HELP HELP HELP HELP PLEASE Being investigated for Benefit Fraud

[3_liitledevils]

Please can someone offer some advice/help as I am being investigated for benefit fraud

 

I was made redundant from a company back in Jan this year and I was 3 months pregnant at the time, I went onto income support and housing benefit, I was then offered a job when I was 5 months pregnant.

I started this job on the 1st April but my income support was paid until the 17th April and my housing benefit ran on until June ( Income support did not tell them that I had stopped claiming IS and as a result I have a HB Overpayment)

 

I then went onto maternity leave in July and tried to claim for HB as I was not getting enough money to pay the rent from my MA alone.

it came back with nil entitlement as my tax credits were too high, since then they have written to me and said there are discrepancies with my claim.

 

basiclly I said that I started work on the 1st May as i knew I had a 2 weeks Overpayment of income support, I have been interviewed under caution and they had already contacted my director who confirmed I started on the 1st April in a written statement,

My other director has now written a letter saying I started on the 1st May and I was paid upfront for April as a good will gesture.

 

He has now had a call saying that they do not believe him and to have a think about his letter and re send it ( I am not supposed to know about this), they have got copies of all my bank statements from April to present and they have put my current HB claim on hold until this is all resolved.

So I am not able to pay my rent at the moment.

 

What do I do, I have kind of dug a hole and I am scared that if I go back and say actually I did start on the 1st April they will throw the book at me for lying but surely if I dont do this then I am just digging my self a bigger hole.

 

Can they also start looking into my tax credits as I forgot to tell them about a change in childminders for a while

 

Help please!!!

Edited December 7, 2009 by 3_liitledevils

[loopinlouie]

Best bet is to do what you know you need to do. They will look into all aspects of your claims including tax credits so tell the truth about start date and tax credit situation. Just tell them what was going on especially as was pregnant and that you are sorry.

[RaeUK]

Er... I'm getting a feeling of deja vu! Have answered this threads identical twin! And I'm with loopin on this one.

Take care.

Rae

[ErikaPNP]

We cannot advise you on how to get out of this as CAG does not condone fraud, it exists as a self help forum to direct people to their legal rights when dealing with businesses or public authorities.

 

The only advice you will get here is to admit your guilt, and accept the penalty they issue.

 

Insofar as the tax credit claim is concerned, no they will not look into that as a matter of course as it is not administered by the same body, and the methods for recovery are different, but they may well do a referral to Tax Credit advising them that you are being investigated (they have a duty to share information which they feel may be relevant) which could result in the compliance team from Tax Credit investigating your claim.