Universal Credit Fraud

[shockjockingtruth]

I'm aware of someone (not me!!) who has claimed UC for 3 years whilst having in excess of £30k savings. The threshold is £16k savings for UC. I think they receive @ £800 per month.

They definitely know they should not be claiming.

What proportion of fraud cases like this do DWP discover without being tipped off? Is it just random checks?

Also what is the likely punishment? I have read charts which give starting point suggestions eg custodial sentence and fine but I wondered in reality what the most likely outcome is.

The worst that will happen is that they’ll make her pay it back, with a small fine. And she can afford it 🤷‍♂️

Very likely to be caught, so reporting them will lessen the amount she fraudulently receives. She will have to pay it all back. She may get a conviction.

"she" is you isn't she op 🤣 YOU have over 30k in your bank account and are fishing to find out if you can be found out without someone snitching

My disabled DS was getting UC with pip and LCWRA

He is too disabled to spend any money but did pay a small rent to us (200 a month).

He went over 15k "savings" and I reported it.
It took them 6 months to organise with a decision maker and they paid him all that time, he ended up on about 20k

We had to send bank statements from the beginning of his claim (about 2 years worth), I assume they wanted to check for fraud of some sort. He had 400 pounds in his account when the claim was started.

The decision maker closed his UC claim but did not ask for repayment, much to my surprise.

Completely agree with this.

Report it. It's people like this that make our taxes go up.

Although the side that annoys me with this is that you could have two people in the same situation, but one squander their money on crap and ends up getting benefits, while the other lives a frugal life, sensibly, and ends up not getting them because they've used their money 'wisely'.

There's a real variety of responses on here from she might get banged up as well as repaying etc to she will just have to pay it back. Also that she could eventually get caught, which I guess we know or she never will. Or that it's me trying to find out for me. I don't get that one, as why would I just say it's me? It's anonymous etc, it's not like I would be sobbing myself in.

If someone made a thread admittedly they had 30k while claiming a benefit you have to have under 16k to receive the replies would be completely different. More insults and less explanations of whether they can check your bank account.

I see what you did here op 😉

"Just asking for a friend" 🤣🤣

It's "fewer insults" @Leah5678 but don't worry I don't think less of you.

A few other people posted replies like yours and they were deleted by mumsnet. I assume those sorts of replies/accusations of crime are against the rules.

It's just annoying because I can hardly evidence anything on here and it just derails the thread. I don't think I am particularly asking for classified information.

I said more insults, meaning if you'd made a thread saying it was yourself not your friend doing this you would get harsh replies calling you a fraudster etc and you would not of gotten all the advice from people detailing the ins and outs of how DWP detect fraud.

I'm just saying, your post and the updates you've made really do read like you're talking about yourself. Especially "will she ever be likely to be caught organically without being shopped. If so what is the likely punishment"

Come on the gig is up 😉

It’s an age old philosophy, keep the little people fighting against each other so the system of corruption at the top carries on unchallenged

@Leah5678 apologies you wrote 'less explanations' which is grammatically incorrect. It should be fewer.

I don't think any of the responses I have received elucidates the ins and outs of the DWP. Most of them are guess work or anecdotes of individual experiences.

You're wasting your time alleging things which you will never have confirmed either way and I'm wasting my time replying. Do you go on every thread and say....I bet that's not true? What a bore. It's pretty easy to work out the circumstances in which a woman or a man might be required to share their financial information with other parties.

As for the other 'little people' fighting against each other comment sometimes there is a bigger picture. Not only is this woman stealing from the tax payer her theft is also enabling another situation which is causing much pain and suffering for the person I love. Both of us are reticent to shop her due to the potential consequences for her children. She isn't a little person, she is just utterly lazy, self entitled and completely able to work full time, with children in their mid to late teens. If people are condoning her theft then we might as well lie and make false claims. I really don't know why it is so difficult to condemn tax evasion as well as benefit fraud.

In the unlikely event you are being genuine, this whole thread is a waste of time. Just report her. I'm sure a quick Google will bring up a hotline or something.

What do you need to pontificate on Mumsnet for a week for? Just do it.

She won't go to jail the people that go to jail over benefit fraud are the ones who fake a disability for years. She will just have to pay a fine to make up for her overpayments

They'll get found out. This is why uc are requesting bank statements going back years in random checks. They are checking income and savings from everyone.

This

No, that's just what people who are fraudulently claiming say

@Leah5678 I would not report her on the basis of an unknown stranger telling me she won't go to prison. Would you shop the parent of children you care about and potentially risk their incarceration. The kids would be the talk of the small village. I am not a psychopath.

On what basis is it only people with faked disabilities? Surely the amount and length of time come into play too. £30k over 3 years (I assume it is 3 years) is a lot of money and a long time. Tbf I have only seen past 12 months of her bank statements but she has been living apart for 3 years so I have assumed that. I am sure it is now easier to guess why I would have seen someone else's bank statements.

I am pontificating out of interest and wondered if someone who knows through professional experience rather than guessing as you seem to be doing. It's easy on these threads to work out who is talking out of their hats or guessing and those who actually know.

I dunno why you are so interested. What keeps bringing you back to the thread? I only reply to you as it keeps it active,l and perhaps someone one more knowledgeable, with useful input would see it. So thanks.

Nobody is going to jail over having 30k in their bank account and claiming benefits worse case scenario she can plead ignorance and say she didn't read all the small print about savings limits.

Seriously did you not see that recently loads of actual violent criminals were let out of prison early because prisons are overcrowded?

It's insane to think your friend would go to jail over this. She will have to pay a fine. I know quite a few people this has happened to who have inherited money and not bothered to declare it while claiming benefits. So I'm not guessing.

So if it bothers you so much just report it.

I wouldn’t be inclined to say anything.