Had fraud interview 2 weeks ago, my JSA benefit has been stopped!Help..

[missyme34]

I went to the bank yesterday to lift only my second payment of JSA only to discover it had been stopped, I am positive this is due to a fraud investigation as I had the interview under caution only few weeks ago but they didn't tell me they could stop my money altogether!! I have nothing or no-one to help me as I am a single 34 year old women, the fraud covers 2 x 4 month part time jobs I had while receiving incapacity benefit 2 years ago, it was true but I had a lot of problems at the time and have worked hard to sort myself out and recently had a 6 month contract on a completely legit employment. I am having panic attacks and don't know where to start looking for help. I have been left without a penny and have bills, food, rent to pay. Who do I contact amd can I get a crisis loan today?? I am really worried as I have no-one to turn to.

[rebel11]

Hi miss

 

Welcome to CAG

The guys will advise as soon as they are available.

 

Heres some info in the meantime:-

 

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/On_a_low_income/DG_10018856

 

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Diol1/DoItOnline/DG_4017683

 

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/specialist-guides/technical-guidance/sb16-a-guide-to-the-social/crisis-loans/

 

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/paying_for_a_home/social_fund_grants_and_loans/crisis_loans

[ptol]

Have you telephoned benefits to confirm why the payment was not made? It may be something completely different...

[missyme34]

No, I'm too busy hyperventilating, I don't deal well with these situations but I am about to leave and go to jobcentre and don't know who else to deal with i know my council tax is also in arrears but in nearly 10 years they have never touched my benefit in the post office account, I have a meeting with money advice on tuesday.

[missyme34]

I'm actually scared to speak to them over the phone incase they find it easier to refuse me a crisis loan, I know this may sound mad but i'm just panicing and this seems the most obvios reason for it stopping, should have been paid in Tues but I only noticed yesterday when I ran out of money. I will sign back in when I have been to jobcentre, maybe it is another random reason and I'm thinking the worse, I put it in google and have diagnosed it myself....maybe not the best way!! thanks

[sadone]

the fraud covers 2 x 4 month part time jobs I had while receiving incapacity benefit 2 years ago,

 

Dare I ask how come they're only investigating this now as it happened two years ago? Did they only check your details or something when you moved to JSA?

[missyme34]

I have no idea, I have been wondering that for a while. I know I was in the wrong but at the time I wasn't in the right frame of mind. when i attended the interview they had letters from both employers giving start and end dates, the lot. I had planned to be totally honest and went alone, no-one from citizens advice or welfare rights would touch me with a barge pole when I mentioned benefit fraud, maybe because I said it was true. I have wondered if a 'friend' has contacted them, as people keep telling me they have put the reward fee up, I didn't know that existed! or because my last job meant I applied for working tax credits so maybe it flagged up. Anyone any other idea's love to hear them! I've offered to pay it back and apologised, not that I shouldn't, obviously.

[missyme34]

Have you telephoned benefits to confirm why the payment was not made? It may be something completely different...

Thanks by the way, I visited jobcentre & they couldn't tell me so handed me a phone to another department, they took my telephone number and I just got a call saying its just been froze for 4 weeks as my working tax credits had a 4 week run on when I finished work in January and their records have just been updated so I will get it back to normal next time I sign on.

Sigh of relief!

[sadone]

I have no idea, I have been wondering that for a while. I know I was in the wrong but at the time I wasn't in the right frame of mind. when i attended the interview they had letters from both employers giving start and end dates, the lot. I had planned to be totally honest and went alone, no-one from citizens advice or welfare rights would touch me with a barge pole when I mentioned benefit fraud, maybe because I said it was true. I have wondered if a 'friend' has contacted them, as people keep telling me they have put the reward fee up, I didn't know that existed! or because my last job meant I applied for working tax credits so maybe it flagged up. Anyone any other idea's love to hear them! I've offered to pay it back and apologised, not that I shouldn't, obviously.

 

So you were applying for working tax credits, even though you weren't meant to be working. Oh dear that was a bit silly.

 

That's maybe how they got you then, via a data matching with the Inland revenue. Were you on income based IB or Contributions based? A bit late now I know but couldn't you have asked to do permitted work instead and getting extra income that way?

 

After your interview did they tell you what they were going to do about all this?

[ptol]

So you were applying for working tax credits, even though you weren't meant to be working. Oh dear that was a bit silly.

 

That's maybe how they got you then, via a data matching with the Inland revenue. Were you on income based IB or Contributions based? A bit late now I know but couldn't you have asked to do permitted work instead and getting extra income that way?

 

After your interview did they tell you what they were going to do about all this?

 

The first post makes it clear that they had just had 6 months of work, properly declared.

[sadone]

I'm afraid I don't understand. What was the problem then? I'm afraid I didn't quite understand her introductory post.

[jadeybags]

Never been on JSA myself, but I assume if you get a job & claim tax credits, even if it's a short term one, you wouldn't be entitled to JSA anymore? I dont know though, as I said, not been on it. I know my brother could work 15 hours a week once but he was on INCAP at the time.

Glad you got it sorted today though Missyme.

[flumps1976]

The Tax Credit run is for a 4 week period and that does affect your JSA payments.

There is no "reward" fee these days. People are actively encouraged to report any known fraud as it is an offence to knowingly receive benefits be that HB, CTB, JSA or TC's that you know you are not entitled to receive.

For future reference there are 2 ways to apply for a Crisis Loan, the most speedy and convenient way is to use the telephony application and that is through a freephone number which your JCP or BDC office can provide you with, if you don't wish to use that service you can request form SF401 from either of these offices and you can complete the application form, it has to be posted though and this delays your application by a few days, which kind of detracts from the "crisis" iygwim.

Your referral to Fraud could have come from a tax credits if you declared the 2 previous jobs to tax credits or from a data linking exercise where tax records are updated and checked against any benefit claims or perhaps somebody reported you. As all referrals are made annonymously there is no way of knowing sorry.

[ptol]

I'm afraid I don't understand. What was the problem then? I'm afraid I didn't quite understand her introductory post.

the original poster committed fraud a few years ago whilst working and claiming incapacity benefit.

[sadone]

Thats what I thought. Thats why I was asking why they'd left it so long before finding out about it and did she claim tax credits whilst she was doing so. If so they were bound to track her through that I'd imagine.

[Nystagmite]

. Were you on income based IB or Contributions based? A bit late now I know but couldn't you have asked to do permitted work instead and getting extra income that way?

 

There's no such thing as income based IB.

[missyme34]

Hi everyone, I really appreciate all the postings. I was on Incapacity benefit a few years back when I undertook 2 short term contract part time jobs, I did not apply for working tax credit at that time. I only found out I could apply for this when I got my most recent job in July 10, I received working tax credits until the end of the contract in January 11. It wasn't until January that I was aware of the fraud investigation, I hold my hands up to being in the wrong, I have had the interview but still don't know the outcome or how it was discovered. You live and learn and I will soon find out.

 

thanks everyone.