A letter from Concentrix oh behalf of HM REVENUE

[Howes68]

Hello please help if you can , I am worried sick , I got a letter from the above , the letter states We need to talk to you about whether you are living with a partner , I claim tax credit as a single person , they are saying that they have evidence that there may be another ault living with me , I do have a bf whom stays 3 days a week , they wish me to call , and are asking in the letter for Bills, tent from 06 April 2014 to Jan 2015 , scared they are going to horrible on the phone not sure what to make if it , feel sick , any tips or help would be great thank you

I have nearly got all my papers together , i have been into the bank today to request duplicate copies of my bank statements to be sent out , i rang concentrix and the when i told the first man i spoke to that no one else lived here with me and my tax credits and all other payments stopped last july he told me to forget it and not to send anything ! next i rang hmrc and they said to send them but on their system everything was up to date , when i called them to stop my payments and when they stopped , i rang concentrix back and i spoke to a different man and he said he couldnt comment on what the previous man said and he said it all sounds straight forward what you have told me and still to send all documents, i wouldnt be surprised if its something to do with a previous tenant since i moved in i have had a bailifs visit and letters to a mans name i dont know from financial organisations , i have got sky bills, a letter from british gas showing my yearly usage , a council tax bill and a april to jan bank statements , does anyone know will i need to send off my savings account even though its been empty for years ?

Hi annoyed385
Sorry to hear about your situation. I can understand how upset and stressed you are and it sounds like you've had a very testing and emotional year.
Can I please just assure you that they DO realise the stress they are putting on you. That is why its done in the way it is.
You are absolutely right to keep things basic. Stick to that.
Send them everything you have and don't fret about what you don't have. You are within your rights to say you don't have xyz.
The onus is on them. Its a case of forever throwing the ball back in their court.
You have nothing to fear.
Its well proven scare tactics. It works! That's why they have been doing this method.
They have a very large bill to decrease.
Don't be part of it.
The "you have a partner living with you" group is easy pickings. Lambs to the slaughter.

I got this self same letter last week (lone parent, no partner, live alone and have done for years).

On calling Concentrix, they assured me that their 'evidence' was due to 'multiple names' at my address. Now, given that I'm in a rented property this isn't that surprising, but I really do resent the accusation of fraud.

It also begs the question as to why multiple letters weren't issued to my address? I do receive post for previous tenants, yet it seems that Concentrix have only bothered to contact me?

I sent all of the paperwork requested, at the sum of £7-something (that I really didn't have to spare) so that it could be tracked in the post, and am now awaiting the outcome.

It's that mentality of feeling guilty when you spot a police car, despite having done absolutely nothing wrong.

They will only ever contact the claimant Letbartlet.
Most of the address stuff is very easily flagged up and they pounce on it.
Guilty people slip up. They know this. Guilty people ramble and react.
Guilty people panic and start changing things and putting things in place and acting suspiciously. Those are the people they are after.
There are loopholes all over the place and people screwing them left right and centre. How else would you suggest it is done?
People need to look at the bigger picture and stop taking it so personally.
People also need to do their research.
There is no need for people to be so scared that they don't eat or sleep or can't focus on work because they have allowed themselves to live in fear.
We are in one of the best countries going. Be grateful for that. All of you!

I received my letter at the weekend, same old story as everyone else 'we may have evidence of a partner living with you'. The person they named happens to be my father! Funnily enough he lives with my mother! When I phoned Concentrix they said did I get any post of his delivered to my address, well it just so happens that he is named on my mortgage as when my ex husband left us due to me being a low income earner I couldn't secure the mortgage in my name only. I've nothing to hide, I have all the paperwork ready to send tomorrow which I do object to but I just want the matter closed so I'll go along with it. I was told I didn't need to send my divorce papers though. I also agree that it's unpleasant and stressful despite knowing that you have done nothing wrono.

I've also received one of these deliberately deceptive letters from Concentrix on behalf of HMRC. I have never lived with a partner at my current address of 8 years, no one but me has ever received mail there (it was a brand new building when I moved there with my children). There is no way on earth they can possibly have 'evidence' to back up their accusation. When I pointed this out to Concentrix over the phone, they confirmed they actually have no evidence of any wrong-doing. So here's my advice:

1. Try not to let these letters worry you and make a formal complaint to both Concentrix, and also the tax credits section of HMRC for targeting single parents with letters containing intentionally false information, causing us unnecessary stress and worry. I plan to put my complaint in writing but this can also be done over the phone. The more complaints they receive, the better.
2. Don't bother to phone Concentrix to discuss the matter as encouraged in the letter. It takes ages to get through and I suspect these calls, which are no doubt recorded, are nothing but a trap: they tell us they have 'evidence' in the hope we might say something incriminating!
3. I don't have a boyfriend but if you do, don't tell them. It's none of their business and the number of nights he happens to stay over a week is completely irrelevant. There are no rules regarding this for the purpose of claiming benefits. Only living together as partners is an issue.
4. Try to find out what will happen if we don't provide the information requested by Concentrix. My letter states tax credits "may stop or reduce" and I'm sure many others, like me, are very reluctant to take that risk since we rely on the money to feed our children. I will try to get legal advice over this - not an easy thing to find these days with all the cuts to legal aid and CAB's and Law Centre's overstretched.

Btw, my letter states "we have evidence that there may be another adult living with you", not that they may have evidence, as others here are saying?

Great post khaleesi. But your number 3 is a bit dodgy. Number one is pointless as concentrix don't give a damn but by all means be a pain in the backside to MPs etc. Number 4 in the majority of cases where people are innocent tax credits will not stop. Reduction is obviously down to earnings and overpayment etc.
Most people on these threads worry about enough. Or they have very good reason to worry but already knew that because they were screwing the system.

I meant worry about nothing. Sorry typo.

If and when it comes to it, dispute or appeal and learn the difference between the two.
Make it so YOU in effect take them to court but without any fees.
Only about 5% ever reach that stage though.
So sleep well people and enjoy eating again tomorrow.

Thanks but no 3 is not dodgy at all - see
www.advicenow.org.uk/living-together/money/benefits-and-livingtogether-html,177,FP.html
As for no 1, it's absolutely essential - not because we think they care about the stress they're putting us through but because we can't take things any further until we've gone through every stage of the formal complaints procedure.

Your number 1 has zilch to do with the correct procedure. Sorry.
And yes your number 3 is dodgy. The way you have worded it.

Charming.

I'm sure 'making a formal complaint' is indeed part of the correct complaints procedure, no?

During the phone conversation, Concentrix claimed that there were 'multiple' tax credit claims registered to my address.

So, like i say, I'd therefore expect them to be sending multiple letters to my address.

And yet, I seem to be the only one receiving anything from HMRC/Concentrix during the last year.

Part of the reason for the fear is that when you're on a low income, and benefits are a large/sole part of that income, you are very much relying on the agencies involved to make thw right decisions about your claim. This doesn't always happen.

I've had the joy of being homeless within the past 18mths thanks to some monumental fuck ups by DWP/local council etc meaning that I had next to no money coming in or six months. It's not exactly an ungrounded fear, when you are trying desperately to make ends meet.

Concentrix are without a doubt lying to people. This is a fishing expedition and it's completely unnaceptable.

Yes, you're right and posts like hers are best ignored. Probably written by a HMRC manager who doesn't want to deal with a big pile of complaints regarding unethical practice.

Another one here in receipt of same 'warning' letter. Single parent for last 10 years, don't claim any benefits, evidence apparently showing I live with ex-husband! Phoned them when I received the letter, as it says to do, but told to post evidence to them regardless.

Very tempted to send box file of ongoing divorce paperwork (5 years worth!), have printed off online statements but am not happy with my account number, etc being shown so will probably blank those details out - which I think is a perfectly reasonable thing to do!

If any of you have the chance to speak to a CAB about these letters, then please do.

I'm an CAB adviser and we collect evidence on issues where it appears that the practices of private companies or govt agencies are causing distress, or are carried out without due diligence etc.

The more this sort of thing is reported, complained about etc, the more evidence there is to argue a case for changing things.

Does anybody know if you can just print off bank statements online. I just ordered mine and they have just sent me one accounts worth. I need both accounts as evidence .saves me ordering more which will take a few days and the cost. It has my address on the online copies. Actually they are the same, my address etc is at the top. Should this be ok ?

Katy69 - you should be able to, l bank online and have printed 12 months worth of statements, l have also blacked out some of my account number!

Hi I've just read all these posts as like many of you have received the same upsetting letter after returning home from work stating they may have evidence that there may be another adult living with me. I'm single and live with my son who is 18 who left education in November and is now working full time. I informed Tax Credits etc of this and dug my letter up acknowledging I had informed them of the change. I rang them up and the gentleman was very nice and tried to put my mind at rest but still said I needed to send all the requested information. I have no mortgage and am fortunate to own my small flat outright after many years of hard work careful spending since a divorce settlement many years ago. I divorced 16 years ago and am not about to go raking through files to find my Decree Absolute. I haven't required it for nearly 2 decades it's absurd for me now to be asked to produce it. All my bills are paid via DD so the only information I could send apart from an old Child Support Maintenence Letter is my bank statements. I am extremely loathed to disclose such personal information and more so send it through the post. Even if it gets there safe how can I trust my personal Banking details will not only be kept safe but the person scrutinising them is trustworthy? I'm hoping to get some advice prior to posting this as I'm thinking of inking out everything that doesn't relate to a DD for a utility bill or my income from employment as everything else is irrelevant as to how my claim is assessed. The amount of money I spend at the supermarkets petrol stations shops etc is frankly non of any bodies business but my own. I will leave my name address visible and just the sort code as they are fully aware of my account number as they pay my credits into it each month. The more I think about it I just cannot believe I am legally obligated to send this information it proves like others have stated before absolutely nothing about who resides at my address. I find it extremely upsetting and intimidating and as soon as I get chance will attempt to speak to a Citizens Advice Representative.

Hi Pingpongbat

Just noticed you're a CAB advisor. Am I legally obligated to send my bank details and if so what can I ink out so it cannot be read?
Any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks

Hi Pingpongbat

Just noticed you're a CAB advisor. Am I legally obligated to send my bank details and if so what can I ink out so it cannot be read?
Any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks

Headsup, l feel very much the same as you about my personal details, hence why l have blacked out part of my account number. I don't see how bank statements will prove l live on my own!!

I'm so angry too . I have to send a copy of the letter regarding my maintenance payments from ex, what has this go to do with me being single ?? I really don't get it . My divorce papers. I don't want anybody snooping at them , this is personal stuff that shoud not be posted out to some stranger via post ! The thought of somebody looking through them !! Bills and tenanacy agreement ok I understand. .