Letter for IUC

[mrsgazzer]

I Have Just Received An Iuc Letter Saying You May Have Commited A Criminal Offence In Relation To A Benefit Claim Because Of Your Income

What Does It Mean Sorry Im Absolutely Astounded

Im 10 Weeks Pregnant I Suffer With Depression And Panic Attacks

The Thought Of Going To This Interview Is Making Me Sick

I Just Dont Know What It Mean Does It Mean Another Benefit Or What

[loopinlouie]

Firstly hello, not to worry too much you can get advise here.

 

 

Normally as the letter says they send them out if they have information which they should have been told relating to your claim. Could be valid, could be some nosey neighbour with a grudge has rung the agency. But they have to still investigate.

 

Along the lines of, if claiming as single parent, no patner and you have been reported for one living with you.

 

Claiming benefit and working.

 

But there are also many other reasons such as change in circumstances which they have not been informed off which might affect your claim.

 

Try to if want give a little more information without personal details, if nothing is relevant to the letter it could as said just be a malicious report, so if you are up to date with everything and reported all changes and not claiming for something not entitled for then try not to worry.

 

You do have to attend the interview though, but some others with good advice can add more later xxxx

[mrsgazzer]

no im married and claim income support,dla and incapacity hubby claims carers allowance because he cares for my grandma

 

do i have to go cos seriously i will have a panic attack im at my wits end

i just dont know what to do

[loopinlouie]

I have anxiety problems as well, so know you must be stressed, seriously though try not to worry. If you know everything is above bored in that you are disabled and claiming what entitled to then it is likely someone has rung up as unerving as it is.

 

In any case I would ring them tommorow and see if you can get any more info. I would for reference record the call, some mobiles have a facility on the entertainment window, to record and hold it near the ear peice.

 

You are allowed someone to go to the interview with you, but you do have to go, or your benefits could be suspended. Welfare rights are another good contact you could ring once you know what the problems is. They are normally based under the council in cab and you could look where yours is, they are angels and could support you.

 

But do keep asking questions here if you need to, there are some great advisors here. You could also read some of the other threads and see quite a few people get these letters and see what advice and suppport you can get.

[mrsgazzer]

ive read the other threads but it has mostly been about living with another not income

what does the income thing mean like another benefit or supposedly got a job or sorry i just havent got a clue

can the cab ask on my behalf what it is

[loopinlouie]

Seriously I am no expert there are many scenarios and you wont know till you call them, so try to switch off till tommorow. You will find as long as honest and truthfull with the dwp they will be back.

 

Could be you are doing something wrong you had no idea of and as a result easily sorted, could be you are doing nothing wrong at all and just malicious call so again as myself a person who finds it hard to switch off do your best and come back tommorow when you know what the problem is.

 

You could refresh yourself as to the types of benefits you are on and the rules of them on the dwp gov site just to reassure yourself you are within the rules on savings and income etc.

 

Best wishes xx

[ErikaPNP]

They won't tell the CAB or you much more than what is written in the letter, I'm afraid. You will find out more about the allegations at the IUC.

 

The income they think you have could be from another benefit, or from earned income; it could be any number of things which they classify as income. An IUC is performed because they have some information which suggests you may have been claiming benefit fraudulently.

 

You do not have to go to the IUC, however this will not stop the investigation. Would this cause more anxiety for you in the long run, or would it be better to go and find out what it is about? You can leave the IUC at any time.

 

If you do choose to go, you can take someone with you but they will not be able to speak on your behalf in answer to the questions. You can leave the IUC at any time, or ask for a break if you are finding it too much. If you need to get further advise you can ask for the interview to be postponed until you can obtain further advise.

 

It could all be a big misunderstanding. Loopinlouie's given you some good advice in regard to refreshing yourself to see if perhaps there is something that you haven't declared.

[mrsgazzer]

thanks guys i really dont feel confident to go on thursday i have bronchitis and feel crap if i decided not to attend i know you said they will carry on investigating and suspend my benefits will this be IS,HB AND CT

[ErikaPNP]

They won't neccesserily suspend your benefits but it is a measure that they can take.

 

If they do so all the benefits which are suspected of being claimed fraudulently will be suspended.

[mrsgazzer]

it just says on letter income support nothing bout HB and CT sorry for being a pain i just feel absolutely sick im trying to rack my brain

[ErikaPNP]

If your income support is linked to housing benefit/council tax benefit then they may also be suspended. The DWP computer system sends a notification to the local authority when a linked benefit is suspended. The local authority normally responds by suspending HB/CTB also.

 

It is not certain that they will suspend but be aware that it is something that they can do, and in some cases where there is a failure to show for an IUC they do suspend pending completion of the investigation, but they should write to you to inform you of any suspension.

 

You're not being a pain at all, we are here to help where we can.

 

I can't tell you to go to the IUC or not go to the IUC because you have to do what is right for you. But I am concerned about your anxiety. Is not going to the IUC and finding out what all of this is about, potentially going to make your anxiety worse; not knowing what is happening with the investigation, whether they are going to suspend your benefit, how you will cope financially with a suspension? If it's your bronchitis which is stopping you from going you can ask for a postponment - you can also ask for a postponement if you want to seek further advice. If you have a solicitor, the investigators will give disclosure to him/her prior to the interview.

[mrsgazzer]

prob both its the thought that they will have substantial proof to call me in thats all

reading the other threads it says that solicitors arent really interested and i wouldnt get legal aid x

[lightsup]

Hello

 

It sounds like you're going through a similar situation as my partner. I would say there is a lot of good advice on here, and as it was pointed out that not all experiences on here are an example of what may happen in your IUC. Try to keep positive, you know you have done nothing wrong, and hopefully it can all be cleared up easily. As for solicitors, we found one that didn't seem interested, but are now trying for another, all we have spoken to have said that they will also intent the IUC for free, if it goes further, thats were costs are incurred. You can, as has been suggested, rearrange the interview for when you are feeling stronger or find a suitable solicitor. It might also be worth getting the solicitor to ask for disclosure and based on what the DWP give you, consult the solicitor if it is in your best interests to attend! Anyhow, good luck, remember you're not alone and we'll be keeping our fingers crossed.

[ErikaPNP]

prob both its the thought that they will have substantial proof to call me in thats all

reading the other threads it says that solicitors arent really interested and i wouldnt get legal aid x

 

Proof of what? I am not suggesting you have been commiting fraud but from your posts it is not absolutley clear. So I will advise below what happens when a person has been commiting fraud.

 

If a person has been claiming fraudulently and, and that person fails to attend an IUC, the invesitagtion may continue (depending on the evidence gathered) or stop. If there is enough evidence of fraud it will go to the Prosecution Division who then may go ahead and prepare a case for commencing criminal proceedings.

 

At an IUC, you get an opportunity to put across your side of the story, any mitigating circumstances and may (depending on the level of fraud committed if you have been commiting fraud) be offered a caution or an administritive penalty. Whether this happens is dependent upon a range of factors; the level of fraud, the type of fraud, the reasons why, etc.

 

I am not trying to scare you - I am very aware that you are anxious however you need to be in possession of all of the information to make an informed decision here about whether it is best you go to the interview, or not.

 

If an overpayment resulting from fraud is in excess of £2000 the case is normally referred to the Prosecution Division who will then decide whether they should go ahead with criminal proceedings.

 

I've attached a link to the sanction policy so that you can see how they operate. Sanction Policy

 

Nobody is saying whether or not you should go. That is a decision that only you can make. I have seen that the courts are far more lenient when a person admits fraud at the earliest opportunity.

 

Again, this is not a assumption - it's simply not clear from your posting whether or not you have been claiming fraudulently; you need to know all of the facts and these are some of them in cases where fraud is/has been going on.

[mrsgazzer]

sorry i think i have worded it wrong havent they got to have proof to bring you in and not just we think you have

soz does it make sense

[lightsup]

Hello again, my understanding, and it may be corrected by others, it that they don't have to have proof to call you in for an interview. They could only suspect you and need to ask you to clarify something. For example a car being parked outside of a house isn't proof that someone is living there, but it raises a posibilty/probability that someone is. Hope that helps.

[ErikaPNP]

Absolutley. Once it gets to IUC stage they normally have some strong indicators of fraud. I've dealt with a few people who have gone to an IUC and seen the evidence and they have agreed that it looks very incriminating - but there has been a simple explanation for those indicators along with proof which contests it and the fraud case has been dropped.

 

Suspicious cases such as mentioned above by lightsup, are dealt with by compliance.

 

IUC stages normally have something more than mere suspicion, but again as lightsup states, those indicators that they have (or evidence as they like to call it) which look damning can have a simple explanation which is often communictaed in the IUC