Prosecution limit reduced from £4000 to £2000
Until very recently it used to be the case that as long as the amount of unlawfully received benefit was less then £4000 then prosecution in court could usually be avoided by paying an Administrative Penalty to the DWP. However, we have learnt that a new policy on this has been adopted by the DWP and... Read More
Interviews Under Caution
Interviews Under Caution We are getting lots of feedback from clients telling us they are not given enough time by the DWP fraud investigations teams to arrange legal representation. We do not think this is a deliberate policy to make it difficult to get legal advice but if you do get a letter asking you to attend an interview... Read More
Overpayments of benefit
Updated annual figures show that the amount of benefit that is deemed to be lost due to fraud and error is just over £1.4 billion. However, the figure for underpaid benefit not claimed by those who need and deserve it is £1.6 billion. Despite this government has no plans to encourage those claimants who are underpaid... Read More
Most benefit fraud accusations are false
It will come as no surprise to many people to learn that figures just released show that over 85% of benefit fraud accusations made to the DWP are false. Most of these accusations either come from inaccurate or malicious sources and even the most superficial investigation will establish this. However, many people are still accused... Read More
Court prosecutions
Court prosecutions If you are unfortunate enough to receive a summons to court for benefit fraud offences then you must act quickly. Contact the solicitors who represented you at the Interview Under Caution. If you did not have a solicitor then get an experienced benefit fraud solicitor right away as its possible to have the... Read More
Free Advice
If you are under investigation for benefit fraud then get help before your interview not after! Everyday we hear from many people who have already been to their Interview under Caution and did not get expert advice beforehand. This usually results in things going wrong for them including prosecution, huge repayments and loss of their... Read More
Concentrix
Concentrix are a private company who are paid by HMRC to investigate potential Tax Credit fraud. They appear to concentrate on those single claimants who they suspect are living with another person without declaring it. If they write to you stating they believe you are cohabiting then do not accept this, often their information is... Read More
Tax Credit Investigations
Tax Credit Investigations Local DWP benefit fraud teams are now taking over the investigation and prosecution of Tax Credit fraud. If you get a letter asking you to attend an Interview Under Caution from the DWP do not assume you have nothing to be concerned about if you do not receive DWP benefits. It could... Read More
Councils to team up with DWP
Councils to team up with DWP In January we reported that local authority benefit fraud investigation teams will be merging with their DWP counterparts. We have now heard that these changes will take effect as of 1 April 2015, meaning that there will be a more joined-up approach to investigations and prosecutions of suspected benefit... Read More
Tax evasion vs benefit fraud
Given the time and attention that is devoted to benefit fraud both in the media and by Government, you might be forgiven for thinking that this is the issue that is costing the country the most. However, an analysis of HMRC data shows that In the past year, the total spent on all kinds of... Read More