benefit fraud

[mummysnugglesolveverything]

This morning I received a letter from my local council saying I am being investigated for benefit fraud!!! How? I have not now nor never knowing mislead anyone to obtain benefits illegally. This is worrying me to no end purely because I don't have a clue what it is about. I have tried to contact the person dealing with my case but to no avail and as I type I am on the phone to the CAB.

The only discrepancy which I feel they may have is that I am recently Married and not yet changed my name with the council although every other government agency does have my name change (but also my husband was claiming at the time we got married in his short period out of work but they did say they would contact the relevant agencies to confirm that my husband was again working and they had received a copy of our marriage certificate) but again I can not see why this would class as benefit fraud because I/we have not claimed anything extra or tried to mislead anyone so as to claim something we are not entitled too.
This is baffling my head trying to think of what I could be and the fact I need to wait until tuesday to find out...worrying the hell out of me. Does anyone have any advice or words of wisdom for me as I have never been in this situation before.
Thanks in advance.x

DON'T PANIC!

Sorry this has happened to you. If you don't know of anything out of order, and you've been actively informing the council of changes, they probably have some wrong information.

This might be a straightforward error, or it might be some wretched troublemaker like we get on MN saying, "I don't know anything about my neighbour, but I imagine she's working and I imagine she's claiming benefits, and I've invented in my head how benefits work, and anyway her children's grandparents gave them a swing and I'm jealous."

Hope that Tuesday brings a simple explanation, and producing the correct information will resolve it easily.

If the letter is from the council rather than DWP then it is likely to be related to Housing or Council Tax Benefit or the single person Council Tax discount. If 'recently married' meant you'd gone from a single person to a two-person household without advising the relevant people, for example, that would be looked at. However, if you're certain you've not done anything wrong and you have copies of paperwork and records of telephone conversations etc. you shouldn't be worried.

This section of the DirectGov website on How your benefit claim is checked for benefit fraud might give you more information

we were living and claiming together before we got married this is whats doing my head in there's been no change of circumstances other than those stated and since we have been together have always claimed anything we were entitled too as a couple.
I did get in touch eventually with someone at the council but again they can't discuss the matter over the phone (which i also don't understand why as the phonecalls are supposed to be recorded) so I have no chance to gather any form of documentation or get any advice if needed until i go to this damn appointment because I have no clue at all what it is about. I think they need to review their protocol for these situations because before tuesday I will of been to hell and back racking my brains what it could be about.

Thanks guys.x

My sister in law was investigated for benefit fraud (wouldn't mind, but all she claims is carer's allowance for looking after her disabled daughter!) and they were lovely when she went to the interview; explained she had been accused on the tip off line of fraud and they had to investigate. They just asked her to provide proof of my niece's disability, which she took about a week later, but told her on the day that so long as she could prove that, there was no need for her to worry. I'm sure you will be fine, it's often just a tick box exercise. Good luck, let us know how you get on.