Disabled couple snooped on and accused of fraud by the DWP

[BowdonUK]

I've started arranging for some carers to come in to the house to help me. 3 hours per week.

I just got the financial assessment results back from the council to see how much, if any, I have to contribute...

They want me to pay £155! That is above my pip amount per week. Apart from the disability benefits I have no income, and rarely go above £6000 in savings.

Even the social worker said it is way higher than shes seen before.

So I'm now going to have to challenge the assessment, which involves more stress, and hope I can get them to reduce it.

 

[GIBURROWS]

I've started arranging for some carers to come in to the house to help me. 3 hours per week.

I just got the financial assessment results back from the council to see how much, if any, I have to contribute...

They want me to pay £155! That is above my pip amount per week. Apart from the disability benefits I have no income, and rarely go above £6000 in savings.

Even the social worker said it is way higher than shes seen before.

So I'm now going to have to challenge the assessment, which involves more stress, and hope I can get them to reduce it.

I hope it works out for you buddy, this system is so broken.

 

[Boomstick777]

I've started arranging for some carers to come in to the house to help me. 3 hours per week.

I just got the financial assessment results back from the council to see how much, if any, I have to contribute...

They want me to pay £155! That is above my pip amount per week. Apart from the disability benefits I have no income, and rarely go above £6000 in savings.

Even the social worker said it is way higher than shes seen before.

So I'm now going to have to challenge the assessment, which involves more stress, and hope I can get them to reduce it.

Could you nominate someone, perhaps a relative to receive carers allowance based on caring for you, this would need to be over 35 hours per week. This way some money would get paid to them but you would also receive more back. Overall you could be better off and receive support.

hxxps://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/eligibility

 

[BowdonUK]

I find it difficult to believe that the DWP can't immediately tell the difference between a regular disabled person and a group raking in nearly £54 million over 4 and a half years.

Universal Credit: Gang guilty of large £53.9m benefit fraud

Prosecutors describe the case as the biggest ever case of benefit fraud in England and Wales.

www.bbc.co.uk

If they can't then something needs to be done with the DWP.

 

[BowdonUK]

The DWP missed the last gang. But a guy who ticked the wrong box on a form led to the DWP overpaying him 30p, they are all over him. Demanding the money, taking him to court.

Carer convicted over benefit error worth 30p a week fights to clear his name

George Henderson had to sell his home to repay nearly £20,000, years after ticking wrong box on carer’s allowance form

www.theguardian.com

If you're an honest person and make a mistake they are all over you. If you're a crook and are pilfering large amounts of money the DWP don't see it.

 

[pc-guy]

It's pretty sickening.
Don't vote Conservative unless you want more of this, is all I can say really.

It’s sickening but it has nothing to do with the party in power at the time does it.

It’s the department and how poor it is.

The burden of proof should be with the government as it is the accuser not the benefit reciever.

I am in similar dispute with TFL who accused me to entering a yellow junction box (which I didn’t) and failed to provide clear and evident photographic evidence of my car being inside the junction. Currently with tribunal to decide what is what.

I feel the government or any agencies are increasingly being relaxed about the threshold of proof and hoping people just don’t dispute.

 

[arknor]

MY sons on UC and keeps asking me questions about stuff Even though I never claimed UC in my life.

His mum died and it seems to have set off a compliancy check.

They wanted 4 months of bank statements and photo ID uploaded to his journal.

then they scheduled some call, I had to google to try and find out what the call would be.

apparently its a 2 minute call to confirm he doesn't have any other bank accounts/savings etc.

I saw people on the reddit psost I came across saying how they were asked why they had withdrew money on certain days, asking what they spent it on etc.
were talking about £40-£100 at a time not large sums of money...

how ridiculous, they really want a cashless society so bad don't they.

Your supposed to be able to spend your benefits on whatever you like without it being questioned I thought? as long as you don't break the 6k in savings without reporting it.

 

[Yrkoon]

MY sons on UC and keeps asking me questions about stuff Even though I never claimed UC in my life.

His mum died and it seems to have set off a compliancy check.

They wanted 4 months of bank statements and photo ID uploaded to his journal.

then they scheduled some call, I had to google to try and find out what the call would be.

apparently its a 2 minute call to confirm he doesn't have any other bank accounts/savings etc.

I saw people on the reddit psost I came across saying how they were asked why they had withdrew money on certain days, asking what they spent it on etc.
were talking about £40-£100 at a time not large sums of money...

how ridiculous, they really want a cashless society so bad don't they.

Your supposed to be able to spend your benefits on whatever you like without it being questioned I thought? as long as you don't break the 6k in savings without reporting it.

yeh u you can spend the money on any thing you want, but the rig maroe to get any money out of them is horrible depsite what the media says, if your genuine like most cases it is like sucking blood out a cold potatoe

 

[Rroff]

If you're an honest person and make a mistake they are all over you. If you're a crook and are pilfering large amounts of money the DWP don't see it.

Bit of a different age now but I was unemployed for a bit in 2006 - they overpaid benefits by around £400 - but according to their system it was £18 - no end of threats and hassle over £18 I was telling them I was prepared to pay because I was trying to do the right thing and get the actual amount sorted - nearly ended up in court from trying to do the right thing. Worried me for people who might have it the other way around where they were actually in the clear but being told incorrectly the owed 100s or 1000s... then these recent cases, albeit I suspect some of the people involved have been willingly naive. There is probably a scandal there under the surface not far behind the whole Post Office saga.

 

[pc-guy]

Does the government control policies which DWP follow or the DWP create their own policies indirectly controlling government policies.

It’s been the same governmental policy to go after fraud always. Pretty sure New Labour had ad campaign to snitch on your neighbour or that bloke pretend to be limp goes to job centre gets his payment then goes to a construction site and get his paid work done etc.

Every party and gov does it.

Fighting fraud is the right thing to do…how it is done is obviously down to the departmental civil service.

 

[Allnamestaken]

MY sons on UC and keeps asking me questions about stuff Even though I never claimed UC in my life.

His mum died and it seems to have set off a compliancy check.

They wanted 4 months of bank statements and photo ID uploaded to his journal.

then they scheduled some call, I had to google to try and find out what the call would be.

apparently its a 2 minute call to confirm he doesn't have any other bank accounts/savings etc.

I saw people on the reddit psost I came across saying how they were asked why they had withdrew money on certain days, asking what they spent it on etc.
were talking about £40-£100 at a time not large sums of money...

how ridiculous, they really want a cashless society so bad don't they.

Your supposed to be able to spend your benefits on whatever you like without it being questioned I thought? as long as you don't break the 6k in savings without reporting it.

This is normal.

They only want the statements and ID for confirmation.

I've done one of these and was never questioned. I would not 100% believe what some people say on reddit.
What you spend the money on is irrelevant.

 

[dowie]

MY sons on UC and keeps asking me questions about stuff Even though I never claimed UC in my life.

His mum died and it seems to have set off a compliancy check.

They wanted 4 months of bank statements and photo ID uploaded to his journal.

then they scheduled some call, I had to google to try and find out what the call would be.

That would be pretty sensible of them, like usually when people die they'd leave something behind for their offspring and the median household wealth in the UK is £300k so they'd expect plenty of people would no longer be eligible in such a situation.

 

[dowie]

Some of this disability stuff does seem like a complete grift - YouTuber on PIP earns £650 a time coaching people in how to fill out the forms and advising them on what to say in interviews:

YouTuber makes a fortune filling out disability applications for £650

Charlotte Anderson, 46, from Bucknall in Staffordshire uses insider know-how to fill out customers' disability applications - at £650 a pop.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Ms Anderson receives the maximum PIP – now £798.63 per month – as she has chronic fatigue and severe arthritis. Before that, she worked as a contracts manager at a logistics company.

Now she's a full-time YouTuber and disability advocate. The self-proclaimed 'PIP consultant' also rents out her bungalow and lives in the shed she broadcasts from.

PIP is not means-tested, so Ms Anderson can receive payouts regardless of her income, savings or assets. And business is booming.

In January, she had 33 clients and was forced to temporarily stop offering appointments because the consultancy was 'too successful'.

Many of her videos open with the declaration that she has a '100 per cent success rate at winning PIP'.

Ms Anderson says that, in half of the cases she wins, her clients 'have purely mental health conditions' – as opposed to any physical illness or disability.

 

[robj20]

I hate the system so much. We've gone from being fairly well off to being forced down, every time I do well at work and get a payrise they reduce the wife's money.
I got a large bonus at Christmas and they took everything off the wife for 1 month.
Why can they not just set Carers to minimum wage.

 

[burtie]

Honestly I'd rather have a job then continue on benefits, my next PIP assessment is next year and I'm no better than I was 4 years ago!

I've only left the house a handful of times in the last 10 years, mainly to go to the doctors or dentist appointments.

I've tons of evidence that I'm actually ill and struggle every day, not looking forward to it all again with the stress and Capita asking stupid questions!!

I've no skills so working from home is out the question. So if they decline my next assesment I'm not fighting it! I'll just eat beans out of a can I guess!

 

[dowie]

Why can they not just set Carers to minimum wage.

Do you not think some of them maybe deserve a little bit more than minimum?

Honestly I'd rather have a job then continue on benefits, my next PIP assessment is next year and I'm no better than I was 4 years ago!
[...]
I've no skills so working from home is out the question. So if they decline my next assesment I'm not fighting it! I'll just eat beans out of a can I guess!

But you've had at least 4 years to get some skills and there are admin jobs that can be done from home that don't require much more than data entry or answering the telephone. you could be a virtual PA for someone etc..

 

[burtie]

Do you not think some of them maybe deserve a little bit more than minimum?



But you've had at least 4 years to get some skills and there are admin jobs that can be done from home that don't require much more than data entry or answering the telephone. you could be a virtual PA for someone etc..

Well between the 8 panic attacks I have a day, the soul crushing depression, the insomnia, plus the pain and multiple drugs I have to take I've honestly not thought about it.

 

[dowie]

Well between the 8 panic attacks I have a day, the soul crushing depression, the insomnia, plus the pain and multiple drugs I have to take I've honestly not thought about it.

So why did you claim it's a skills issue at first?

 

[BowdonUK]

But you've had at least 4 years to get some skills and there are admin jobs that can be done from home that don't require much more than data entry or answering the telephone. you could be a virtual PA for someone etc..

I think the key word is "could". In reality I doubt many companies would hire someone they haven't met in person, especially if they have a disability. Also a common issue every worker faces is when you've had no recent employment (or education) it is a red flag.

Also how many companies actually embrace technology? The amount of time wasted going to appointments to have a consultation when it could be done over the phone, or video call, is still very high.

There is still a rigid work system in this country that the vast majority of companies won't bend on anything. The over saturation of immigrant workers means it is easier just to hire someone else.

I remember in the 90s typing to people on the Internet in the US that worked from home doing telesales. But as far as I can see this never came over here, at least on a noticeable scale.

 

[arknor]

That would be pretty sensible of them, like usually when people die they'd leave something behind for their offspring and the median household wealth in the UK is £300k so they'd expect plenty of people would no longer be eligible in such a situation.

Middle numbers don't tell the real story though do they

meanwhile in the real world
What are the average savings in the UK? According to a 2024 Finder survey, the average person in the UK has £11,185 in savings. However, almost half of Brits (46%) have £1,000 or less in savings, meaning they would struggle to cover living expenses for more than a month.

anyway I mentioned it because of the fact the DWP accountants are asking people why they withdrew money from a bank account and what they spent it on, as it its something only criminals would do.

their job isn't to find out what people spent money on it's to see if anyone is breaking the 6k savings rule.
if someone is withdrawing small sums of money every day or whatever it's none of their business.
its not a crime to use cash

the real fraud seems to be happening on m,ass scale and big numbers like those Romanians who scammed 50mil in child benefit or whatever it was


they should get those accountants looking at mps income whilst they are at it and the panama papers