benefit fraud

[45002]

I'm trying to help as I am a fraud officer and state facts, my last post was tongue in cheek regrading the so called bonus we get.

 

You could be anyone,you could be a super troll,bus conductor or time waster for all we know !

[tomtom256]

You could be anyone,you could be a super troll,bus conductor or time waster for all we know !

 

I'll tell you what then, I will remove my advice and make it easy for all and then we can just listen to the idiots, which from some posts is apparent they have no understanding of how the system works!

 

I could also be all of the things you mention, but I get nothing out of it so what would be the point in lying.

[jabba jones]

You could be anyone,you could be a super troll,bus conductor or time waster for all we know !

 

& it's also fairly obvious from his answers, that he is none of these things. Any regular contributor to this site should be able to tell that!

 

Back to Danilou again. If everything you have said is correct then all you can do at the IUC is tell the truth. I'm no expert on ESA letters, but you will have been sent an award notice & the ESA rules at some point during your claim, probably on more than one occasion. You will have to explain why you didn't read them & hopefully there are no false forms or statements in your claim documents to destroy your excuse.

 

The overpayment amount cannot be changed, but whether a criminal offence has taken place or not is yet to be decided.

[estellyn]

The overpayment amount can be changed on appeal if the diminishing capital rule hasn't been applied. Less common for the dwp to forget to apply it, but it does happen.

[jabba jones]

The overpayment amount can be changed on appeal if the diminishing capital rule hasn't been applied. Less common for the dwp to forget to apply it, but it does happen.

 

Yes. But what I meant was that in this case, nothing will in the change in the amount of the overpayment as a result what happens at the IUC.

 

The exact amount will probably not have been calculated yet, but as long as the DM applies the rules correctly, the dates & amounts of money involved should already have been established. The IUC is to see why the overpayment has happened & to see if any further action is required as a result of the overpayment.

[estellyn]

Yes. But what I meant was that in this case, nothing will in the change in the amount of the overpayment as a result what happens at the IUC.

 

The exact amount will probably not have been calculated yet, but as long as the DM applies the rules correctly, the dates & amounts of money involved should already have been established. The IUC is to see why the overpayment has happened & to see if any further action is required as a result of the overpayment.

 

True the IUC changes nothing. Post IUC if the OP disagrees with the decision reached, for a valid reason, then the only recourse is to appeal the decision to a Tribunal.

[Danilou91]

So I had my interview at 11am, it lasted 45 minutes so not too bad.

Through the interview and my extensive paperwork and bank statements it was incredibly obvious that the overpayment has been their fault, not mine.

At the beginning of the interview I was told that I would be informed at the end of the interview if my case would be taken for prosecution and I wasn't so that's great!

 

The DWP were under the impression that I was always on income based (means tested) but on showing all the letters I have received the interviewer admitted that it would appear that I have been on contributions based.

 

I'm so relieved and can finally eat after 5 days of non stop worry! Thanks all

[mick57]

fraud officer LOL ? Says it all . I am going though hell at the moment still and its a shame that Fraud officers don`t go by facts. That's why I said I heard....Its up to people who post the threads to believe it or not. You seem to have a lot of time on your hands. I think they make up the rules as they go along .. They say one thing and do another. How did you get on today at your interview Danilou91?

[mick57]

I'm so glad for you make sure you take care of yourself ! Has this effected your benefits ? Don`t you think they could of asked you before to send information / proof that it wasn't your fault before calling you in for a interview ?

[Danilou91]

They have still stopped my benefits until a 'decision maker' decides if I have to pay anything back or not.

My mum asked why they went straight to an IUC and all they could say was that its standard procedure, typical!

[mick57]

That's bad when its not your fault . I don't know about you but I think a lot of time stress upset and money could be saved if they done things a different way. I hope you won`t after pay anything back as wasn't your fault. I still don`t know where I stand and because they stopped my housing benefit / council tax benefit if it isn't sorted it couple weeks wont have home .. Please let me know what the Decision maker decides and I hope you hear off them soon

[tomtom256]

That's bad when its not your fault . I don't know about you but I think a lot of time stress upset and money could be saved if they done things a different way. I hope you won`t after pay anything back as wasn't your fault. I still don`t know where I stand and because they stopped my housing benefit / council tax benefit if it isn't sorted it couple weeks wont have home .. Please let me know what the Decision maker decides and I hope you hear off them soon

 

Things can't be done a different way, if an offence is believed to have been commited any further contact has to be under caution as potentially the outcome could be court, so anything said has to be recorded to cover all concerned.

 

It's also not crystal clear from the outset of an investigation of what has actually happened, as with most cases evidence normally collected appears to show guilt. Once you hear both sides of the story and get a claimants explanation this occasionally changes things as they can explain why you might have x, y or z. The point of an IUC is to obtain the facts.

[geoffthechef]

16000 max for working age,no benefits at all if you have more than that

 

Can i just point out this is wrong...You can get ESA support group and have over 16k savings...Just in case anyone panics..

[time4change2]

Can i just point out this is wrong...You can get ESA support group and have over 16k savings...Just in case anyone panics..

 

You can’t get income-related ESA if you have savings of more than £16,000 though

 

https://www.gov.uk/employment-support-allowance/eligibility

[geoffthechef]

You can’t get income-related ESA if you have savings of more than £16,000 though

 

https://www.gov.uk/employment-support-allowance/eligibility

 

That is why i said support group esa..where it is not income related.

[antone]

That is why i said support group esa..where it is not income related.

 

Support Group ESA can be contribution or income related. If it's income related, the same capital limits apply to the SG as apply to the WRAG or the assessment phase.

[geoffthechef]

Any idea how the contribution bit works Or a link for explanation?

ok found it..

 

To be entitled to contributory employment and support allowance you must have paid enough national insurance contributions.

 

What if I have savings or other income, will that matter?

 

It does not matter what other income or savings you have, other than any occupational or personal pension. This may reduce how much contributory ESA you receive.

 

If you are placed in the support group there will be no time limit on how long you can receive contributory ESA.

Edited July 23, 2013 by geoffthechef

[antone]

Any idea how the contribution bit works Or a link for explanation?

ok found it..

 

To be entitled to contributory employment and support allowance you must have paid enough national insurance contributions.

 

What if I have savings or other income, will that matter?

 

It does not matter what other income or savings you have, other than any occupational or personal pension. This may reduce how much contributory ESA you receive.

 

If you are placed in the support group there will be no time limit on how long you can receive contributory ESA.

 

Yes, this is all correct, but does not apply to those who are on Income Related ESA and are in the Support Group.