Benefit fraud - My story

[Bookworm]

Whew, there's a lot to consider there.

 

Ok, first of all, the loan sharks. They're not known for their reasonable approaches, so don't expect them to see the DWP letter and back off. When you say "loan sharks", do you actually mean illegal companies, or things like Payday Loan, Provident and other supposedly legitimate businesses? that's VERY important for us to know who you're dealing with here.

 

Secondly, benefits. No easy answer there, but 1st thing to do is not to panic and not to volunteer any information they don't ask for. Find out what it is they've got you under suspicion first, and take it from there. Depending on the sums involved, they may well agree to letting you pay the debt off at a rate that is doable for you rather than taking you to court, which costs money and time and doesn't mean they'd get any more from you anyway. If you're fit to work however, you'll have to come off benefits and get a job, or at least sign on normally.

 

Thirdly, I hope for your sake you are now off the alcohol/drugs dependency otherwise whatever we help you with here won't be worth jack sh*t, so maybe that should have been no 1 on the list. Get counselling and get it now. I'm sure you yourself can see that alcohol/drugs/fraud/suicidal thoughts/loan sharks are NOT the way to deal with this all, but you HAVE to get yourself sorted first before you can sort out the rest of your life, ok?

 

You've come out in the open and that has to be a positive sign that you are now ready to tackle the issues in your life. That's good, and that's a start. Now make an appointment and go see your doctor, and get help for YOU. Here at CAG, we can help you with the other stuff, but your physical and mental health we can't.

 

I can't even start to imagine how difficult it must have been for you to come out and post, so well done for that. You are not alone. {{{HUGS}}}

[Bookworm]

Excellent stuff. I was trying to reply to you earlier and my internet went down, so glad to read your update.

 

Good luck and do let us know what happens.

[Bookworm]

Oh, a quick word of warning: We do have some holier-than-thou on this forum who take great delight in casting the first stone, and who think that if you have been a bad girl you don't deserve our help, and that people like you should be flogged, you get the picture.

 

So far, thankfully, none of them has appeared on your thread, which is great. However, any of them could appear at any time and start on you, so forewarned is forearmed. If it happens, don't let it get to you and don't stop posting. They will always be people who think that their "moral" viewpoint is wanted or needed even (especially?) if it is absolutely not. Don't let it worry you, ok?

 

Please keep us updated so we know you're ok.

[Bookworm]

That's great news.

 

Amazing, isn't it, that this thing which was worrying you so much (the fraud) might end up being the catalyst which will allow you to get your life on track and deal with all the other issues.

[Bookworm]

Apologies for hijack, but... Pen? Is that you? Talk of a blast from the past!!!