Caught for Fraud and arrested yesterday

[debbieb1980]

No excuses as I was caught red handed doing something I really should not have been doing.

I have been wrongly claiming whilst working due to a lot of money issues and now need to face the consequences of my actions.

My recent past caught up with me late yesterday evening when I was arrested at my workplace just before finishing my shift, I then had to go to the police station and have been in there til an hour or so ago.

Scared I will now end up in prison though if I do I know it is self inflicted, looking for any advice.

Seems like a relatively small amount for such action. Can you afford to repay it?

Kept in detention overnight for £2,500 fraud? There must be more to this surely.

Oh I'm so sorry.you must feel awful...none of us are perfect,and who knows what any of us could be driven to in difficult circumstances.i hope you don't go to prison ..good luck 💐

It is extremely unlikely you will go to prison for such a low amount.

Yes I was previously interviewed by the DWP and failed to declare at that time which was wrong.

www.gov.uk/benefit-fraud

This is the procedure for benefit fraud, can't understand this thread at all

Get some legal advice, if it happened when you were finishing work I'm guessing your work place is aware of your arrest?

Any chance you can get a credit card and stick the amount on it so you can pay it back asap?

Whereabouts in the UK are you?

Sorry typing error, it was actually £12,500

Head all over the place at the mo.

Is there any way you could just tell the full story instead of dropping mysterious, limited answers every couple of posts?

Sorry but this thread sounds very bizarre. Why would they detain you after charging you? And for £2,500 benefit fraud? Sounds wrong on so many levels I'm afraid.

I've known a few people who have been charged with benefit fraud. Not one of them was arrested and charged by the police

Yes my workplace are aware of my arrest.

And I am in Scotland.

You need to seek the advice of a solicitor, not strangers on a forum. See citizens advice and speak to a close friend or family member. Fraud is a serious issue and £12,500 is a lot of money taken out of the system wrongly. Good luck in your case.

2500 will likely not be a custodial sentence, it is most likely to be a community order. Do get a solicitor. Do you have dc? How many dependents do you have?

It is not unusual to be held overnight for fraud.

I think the fact that you lied under caution has caused it to become more serious charges - I take it you didn't get legal advice before that interview>

Think you need legal advice rather than mumsnet advice.

Ah okay 12500 is a bigger problem. Yes you need some legal representation straight away.

Previosuly said there was a typing error and was actually £12,500

Just for any confusion it was 2 plain clothes police officers. It turns out I have been watched for 3 months before they arrested me - they had photos of me entering and leaving work

Sentencing Council Benefit Fraud

Get cCAB

You were held in custody and only released this morning? This seems extreme. Were you behaving violently after being arrested or something?

You don't see MPs caught fiddling thousands in expenses being arrested and held in police stations.

It will go to court and you'll likely be found guilty and ordered to repay the full amount plus court fees. They will ask you to submit a form of your incoming and outgoing money and calculate how much you'll have to repay in weekly installments, based on what you can realistically afford.

You will face a prison sentence if you do not keep up with your repayments.

Go and see a solicitor. Look up your local PDSA office and call them. They will check if you qualify for legal aid and if you do, it's free.

For that amount of benefit fraud you could be a community order but custody is possibly. The public and government are sick to death of benefit fraud - that money is a safety net for those who need it and people who steal it are not looked on kindly by the courts.

You day you had a previous interview and denied working so kept claiming - that won't look good. You had a chance to come clean but didn't so that's hard to defend.

Whatever financial problems you were having could be mitigating but at the end of the day, you stole from the public purse and courts are cracking down on it.

Custody is a possibly so you need to see a lawyer and they will talk you through it. They can calm some of your fears, explain what will happen and help you pay some back.

Go today.

Yes I will get legal advice, I have been on the phone and will speak to a solicitor later on today.

Even at £12,500 it's a very expensive and OTT operation to watch you for 3 months, send CID to arrest you and keep you overnight.

Mind you, that's probably area dependent.

I'm in London and the Met definitely wouldn't have time/money for this. It would be left to the DWP to sort and bring any charges.

As PPs have said, you definitely need legal representation.