Tax credit fraud!!

[gildo]

thanks for that reply! Will check these out asap! I'm still waiting so it looks as if its gonna be a lonnnnnnggggg wait!

[ECB49]

Just to give you an update, rec'd letter from TC office yesterday morning - 29th March - , letter dated 22nd March stating that they have tried to contact me and I was to ring them back before 29th March!!!!!! so as i had been at work all day and I didnt get in till about 4.30pm I got straight on the phone straight away but surprise surprise the lady I had to speak to finishes about 4pm and wasnt going to be in until monday!!!! So therefore another weekend of worry. The lady I did speak to was really nice, wish it was her that was dealing with my case

[ECB49]

Thought I would update you, rang the 0151 number this morning and spoke to a really lovely lady called Joan, basically because I cannot provide evidence of another address they have cancelled my claim as from 2010-2012!!!! (thank god they didnt go back further as wouldnt have been able to give any evidence for that either) So will now be waiting for a letter to confirm this and then I will be ring the helpline to set up a payment plan as think it will be about £12000 - She did say that they are so busy and there are loads of people in the same situation as all of us. Thank god this nightmare is nearly over, as I said to her, I will do my best to pay something back but they cant take what I haven't got!!! she also said they will take into account my husbands earnings when payment plan arranged but with my calculation we are -£77 short a month after we pay everything, so good luck to them on that front!!

[gildo]

Good luck today ECB49

[gildo]

Sorry ECB49 I didn't see your update before i posted my "good luck" message. Glad you got through to HMRC and perhaps you feel a little better now. I sent my letter on Friday to tell them about my husband living with me and tried to explain that our reconciliation is NOT of an intimate nature if you know what i mean lol. As you know i also have no proof of him living elsewhere now that his mother is dead and i hope that like you they only take into consideration the years 2010 - 2012. I will also have to pay back about £12,000 and as my husband and I in the middle of a debt consolidation plan, I am hopeful that the £12,000 can be incorporated into this. A debt management company suggested that we may have to look at bankruptcy, but i really don't care what i do so long as i can get my life back again. If possible, will you let me know what the final outcome was and keep your fingers crossed for me that mine is sorted soon as well?

[ECB49]

Gildo - I do feel a bit better about it, fingers crossed they will accept minimal amount or i'm in trouble!!!!! Hope all goes well with you, I'll keep you updated with the final outcome, and fingers & toes crossed for you

[Doomed]

Gildo - I do feel a bit better about it, fingers crossed they will accept minimal amount or i'm in trouble!!!!! Hope all goes well with you, I'll keep you updated with the final outcome, and fingers & toes crossed for you

 

Hi ecb

Your figure is that exact cause it works out same as mine and am paying back £50 a month ,which is alot better than what we all first thought when we got the dreaded letter about prison etc etc

Least we can get on with our lifes with our children

[ECB49]

Doomed - Did you offer this amount to them or was it them that decided after you gave them income/expediture? Can just about manage that amount but will be paying it for years, I hope they accept this from me

[Doomed]

Doomed - Did you offer this amount to them or was it them that decided after you gave them income/expediture? Can just about manage that amount but will be paying it for years, I hope they accept this from me

 

They offered that amount and to be honest even if they said £200 a month it would still take years but we would be on our backside but we can still live with £50 and the fact we have a joint claim in now works out nothing ,have you heard anything

[worriedtodeath71]

i have today received a letter stating i am under investigation for tax credit fraud as i have made a claim as single when i have my partner living with me - Oh my god i cant believe how stupid i have been i feel sick and cant stop shaking i cant talk to anyone about this as i fell such a fool for letting it get this far. It was just to easy to sign the renewal packs year after year the letter states they are investigating this year but i have been claiming this for around 6 years - my boyfriend used to stay a few nights a week when i was on income support and receiving housing benefit and council tax not long after we had a visit from the council saying that we shouldnt be claiming for my rent and coucnil tax and stopped there and then and declared that he was living with me - i work part time and have 3 children one of whom has apsergers so i claim disability for him - i thought if i just claim for abit until we are on out feet then i would cancel my claim. How stupid could i of been it just got harder and harder i didnt want to ring them because then they would ask where my partner had been living and would of been found out to of been claiming fraudulently as we had no proof. my partner and i have argued alot about this in the past and i have just buried my head in the sand knowing that this day would eventually come - what do i do ?? do i admit to the 6 years i think i have claimed about £65,000 will i go to prison i cant look at my kids without crying at the thought of leaving them especially my son who wouldnt understand - it is not as though i live a lavish lifestyle this money paid the bills fed and clothed my kids -??????

[gildo]

Hi, first of all I want to tell you not to worry. I know this has come as a shock to you and believe me I've been there. Okay my circumstances were a little different but the end result i'm sure will be the same for you as it was for me. My husband was living with me but we weren't reunited. He returned to look after me and our children due to personal circumstances. I then got a letter from HMRC saying they had proof that my husband was living with me and they would be reviewing the years 2010 - 2012. Like yourself I also had been claiming for several years and was worried that they would go back further. I contacted them and waited on them ringing me but they didn't. I wrote to them (with the help of Cit Advice) and up-dated them about my circumstances. After many weeks of worrying, losing weight, suffering sleepless nights and worrying i'd be jailed, they finally wrote to me and advised me of how much i needed to pay back (£13,000). I contacted them again recently and asked them could we organise a repayment plan but they basically said someone would be in touch soon. So please please please try not to worry. I know of other people on this forum who have had someone from HMRC ring them but it seems the dreaded telephone call isn't as bad as everyone thinks its going to be. Just try to get on with things and definitely go to Cit advice and ask them to help you with a letter. Okay i'm sure there's the possibility of a fine and MAYBE an interview but it seems most people on here have only had a phone call and an agreement for a payment plan to pay back what is owed. Please try not to worry for the sake of your own health and the sake of your children who always seem to know when something is wrong!

Gildo

[worriedtodeath71]

trying to stay calm!!!!! have booked a citizens advice appointment - do i come clean about the 6 years or as they are only investigating last year just then? i am so ashamed i cannot confide in anyone even my partner as he will go mad he has been telling me to ring them for years the only person i could tell is my mom and it would worry her to death so i wont!

[gildo]

I'm glad you've got an appointment with citizens advice and they will keep you right. I think they will only look at the year they have stated on your letter. As I said i was worried they would go back further but they didn't. I know how you feel, I really do. I felt ashamed also and i think if you read back through these forums, you'll find most people feel this way. I also should have "come clean" when my husband moved back in but to be honest we've had such an unstable marriage I really thought he wouldn't have stuck around for very long. Now that its all sorted i feel as if i can start afresh and soon you'll feel the same way. HMRC seem to be using experian credit checks so obviously something has been flagged up at your address for last year. By the way I also took the advice of 2 different CAB offices and I'm glad i did coz the second time round i got some fantastic advice!

Gildo

[worriedtodeath71]

thank you for reassuring me i feel a little bit better knowing that someone else has been in the same boat i will keep you updated x

[gildo]

there are loads of us who have been in the same boat. We have all felt the same way and we have all had the same worries. please keep me up-dated coz soon enough you'll see light at the end of the tunnel.

[kizzy1972]

God, your replies have given me a little hope. I am in the same situation. We have just decided to give our relationship another try and he applied for a credit report to see where he was financially etc and 4 or 5 days later i get a letter saying they have evidence that another person has been staying at my address. We dont have a joint bank account but do have a joint mortgage, his credit cards and loans are still coming to my address.Basically all his mail comes here as he is amazing with the kids and it enabled me to get a mortgage. I have no proof he has been living elsewhere and now i am banging off the walls. Havent slept in 4 days, havent really ate either, just been to doctor to get sleeping tablets-i am convinced i'm going to prison. If they check back it could be 10 years, we have 3 kids and i reallt feel like i'm losing it. Went to CAB and they told me to tell the truth, because i dont have proof he actually stayed elsewhere they wont believe me. Went to a fraud solicitor with my Dad and she told me Prison is a real possibility and that if i get called for interview to say "no comment" to everything.

 

The letter states 20011-2012 but i'm worried, no not worried, completely ruined that they may check back all the way and hold me accountable for everything. Solicitor said to not reply and wait for letter with what they say i owe them and then deal with that.

 

I'm cancelling direct debits, like Milk, pet insurance, kids swimming lessons... anything that is not essential and ready to sell my house and move back to my Dads, with 3 kids at 35. This has ruined my life and is making me ill-can anyone give me a glimmer of hope

[gildo]

Please believe me when i say i felt they same way you are feeling now. I also would've been looking at years and years, but they are only looking at the years stated in the letter. i went to CAB and with their help wrote to HMRC and told them exactly when my husband came back to live with me and they have just written to me telling me how much i owe. that was it. write a letter and tell them when your partner moved back in. okay you'll def have an overpayment and maybe lose your award but its worth it for your sanity. don't think jail is an option. if you look back over old posts you'll see it hasn't happened. i've a friend who's an ex prison officer and he assured me that they won't do this as they would rather recover the money owed than jail anyone! I also lost weight, couldn't sleep and thought the worst. I felt ashamed and could've gladly thrown myself under a bus for my stupidity. I also had no proof of where my husband had been living and most people who have posted on here have said the same. Now though i'm just waiting to hear back about how much i have to pay them. it seems to take them about 6 weeks to get in touch. I got my first letter at beginning of March, rang them by a specified date, sent my letter at end of March and then they wrote to me in April saying that i'd been overpaid etc. Please please try not to think the worst. look at the old posts on here for that glimmer of hope you need

[worriedtodeath71]

surely if i admit to them that he moved in 6 years ago i will get in deeper trouble??? or do i just state that for the year in question he has lived at my home???

[Stripey02]

Hi I recently have had to go for an interview for housing and council tax. I have had a partner on and off for a yr to 2 yrs and yea he's stayed here at times but other times he just disappears. That's how he is. Mug I know.

 

Basically at the interview they had everything any credit he'd applied for, all our bank statements from even before we were together, neighbours writing statements but even in them they said they think he works away but he don't this Is the periods he does one basically.

 

They had no proof of him giving me money apart from 2 occasions on my bday and valentines day. At end of interview they said there not suspending my money but passing it on to there decision maker which has left me a little worried I know a lot wouldn stand in court but I also know some would.

 

I've been told to wait a couple of weeks before I'll hear anything I'm just dreading them expecting me to pay it all back when it's not like I been living off his money and they could tell from my bank I struggle some mths to make ends meet, getting bank charges sometimes!!

 

So I know how ur all feeling sleepless nights and constant worry. They told me to do a joint claim but wat good will this do we've done it before and he never supported me hence why I went back on it.. Plus I don't know if that will make me guilty

 

Such a horrible situation to be in coz I aswell am looking at owing in the 20.000 if they don't believe what I'm saying

[kizzy1972]

Thanks Gildo, your story and comments have given me a glimmer of hope which to be honest i am grabbing onto with both hands, fully fear the worst though and cant help thinkinng that way.

 

Suppose i just need to wait on letter stating how long they are holding me accountable for and how much. I had to contact by 2nd May, i had phoned and left all my details on answer phone so at least they know i have made contact. I'm back in to see CAB on Thursday, sat for 2 hours today at drop in centre but really busy... just wanted to speak to someone who could help, dont know where to turn just now

[gildo]

You know that i am only going by my experiences and also old posts on here, but i believe that they are only looking for the years stated on the letters. As i said they could've gone back further with me too but they didn't. i had no proof of my husband living with his mother. I had some proof of us splitting up but that only accounted for a couple of years. id give an honest account of your circumstances for the year(s) in question and that's all. someone i work with got found out living with her boyfriend and she was interviewed and the outcome was that the £20,000 she owed was to be taken out of her house IF she ever sold it. obviously she wont ever sell her house so basically she was lucky! Def go to CAB as they are good, though i had to see 2 different offices before i was happy with the outcome. Gonna go to CAB again when HMRC get back in touch re how i pay them back coz i wana make sure ALL my outgoings are taken into consideration, including the likes of union fees! kizzy1972, its hard to feel positive and you'll have a long wait before you hear anything but i honestly think they just want to claw back as much money as they can. worriedtodeath71 i think just concentrate on the years mentioned in the letter.

[kizzy1972]

Hi Gildo, yeah i know but your story seems quite similar. I just have t wait and see i suppose. Going to see the fraud solicitor has freaked me out but i know they can only advise on the information you give.

 

Gildo did you change to a joint claim or did you wait on their letter?

 

It was his credit check that must have flagged us up to them and it is pretty bad reading if i look at it in their eyes. I will get CAB to help me write a letter for the year they have asked and hope above all hope that will be it

[gildo]

hi kizzy1972, in reply to your question, I didn't ask for a joint claim and i still haven't as i know that me and my husband aren't entitled to claim since the recent changes have been introduced with regard to earnings. Basically i've received the letter telling me my award has now been cancelled and i am now waiting for them to contact me re paying back the overpayment. there's no point making any phone calls to the normal HMRC helpline coz they can't deal with it since its at an investigative stages. I think once you know what you're up against you could ask about a joint claim and i've also read in previous posts about notional offset (i don't know much about this so look at old posts for further info). You obviously have reasons as to why you and your partner decided to live together again a year ago and i'd write it in the letter and tell them why you didn't make a joint claim at that time.

[kizzy1972]

Thanks Gildo, I'll keep you posted-basically its a waiting game until i get their letter with what i owe etc.

 

I hope you get the result which will let you get on with your life

[jadeybags]

Hi I recently have had to go for an interview for housing and council tax. I have had a partner on and off for a yr to 2 yrs and yea he's stayed here at times but other times he just disappears. That's how he is. Mug I know.

 

Basically at the interview they had everything any credit he'd applied for, all our bank statements from even before we were together, neighbours writing statements but even in them they said they think he works away but he don't this Is the periods he does one basically.

 

They had no proof of him giving me money apart from 2 occasions on my bday and valentines day. At end of interview they said there not suspending my money but passing it on to there decision maker which has left me a little worried I know a lot wouldn stand in court but I also know some would.

 

I've been told to wait a couple of weeks before I'll hear anything I'm just dreading them expecting me to pay it all back when it's not like I been living off his money and they could tell from my bank I struggle some mths to make ends meet, getting bank charges sometimes!!

 

So I know how ur all feeling sleepless nights and constant worry. They told me to do a joint claim but wat good will this do we've done it before and he never supported me hence why I went back on it.. Plus I don't know if that will make me guilty

 

Such a horrible situation to be in coz I aswell am looking at owing in the 20.000 if they don't believe what I'm saying

 

Your situation is a tad more serious as it's well known that tax credits rarely prosecute for even huge amounts yet someone can be in your position with the housing benefit & council tax, not have been over paid half as much as the person on tax credits, yet you'll be put in court.

Got a lot of sympathy for you because you were in a position where you didn't know if you were coming or going basically! It's a case of surviving isn't it, so you claim enough to support you n yours, then love complicates things & you land up here. Really hope your LA are a decent bunch.