The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has issued an urgent warning to every Universal Credit claimant who has a social media account.
The UK Government Department is in the process of creating a team of approximately 2,000 employees as part of a new crackdown on benefit fraud. Its 'Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System' plan to prevent up to £2 billion being lost due to fraud and error across the next five years.
Over 600 people throughout Scotland and the UK were convicted of benefit fraud in the last year, and the new task force will review over 2 million Universal Credit claims to check for fraud. The team will investigate the entitlements and circumstances of claims that the DWP has flagged as suspicious.
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Included in this will be claims that were made during the peak of the pandemic and during lockdown.
According to the DWP, there was approximately £6.3 billion of welfare fraud last year — a major increase from £2.8 billion the year before. Combined with an additional £2.1 billion lost due to error, this accounts for £8.4 billion, or 3.9% of benefit expenditure.
The DWP states that the definition of benefit fraud is when somebody "obtains state benefit they are not entitled to or deliberately fails to report a change in their personal circumstances". A common form of benefit fraud occurs when somebody claims whilst working.
Failure to inform the DWP about a "change of circumstances", for example if a partner has moved in with you since making a claim or a relative that died left you an inheritance, may be viewed as "fraud by omission".
While being accused of fraud can be upsetting on its own, being under investigation when you are not sure why can be even more stressful. DWP investigators usually dress in everyday clothes and may show up and your home or place of employment at any moment.
However, by familiarising yourself a bit with these investigations, you can be a bit more prepared and can go on with your life as normally as possible while they are being carried out.
As reported by LancsLive, here is a roundup of the key information you should be aware of regarding DWP benefit fraud investigations.
Common examples of benefit fraud
Here is a list of some of the most common types of benefit fraud:
Faking an illness or injury in order to claim unemployment or disability benefits
Not reporting income from a job or business or reporting it as less than its true value
Living with another individual who contributes to the household income and not informing the DWP
Lying to make it seem like you have less money than you do
In each of these scenarios, the DWP is required to gather evidence that proves the claimant is receiving a benefit that they are not actually eligible for. Investigators have a large variety of powers that can help them collect evidence in a number of ways, such as surveillance, interviews, and document gathering.
Under new proposals, these powers will be further increased to allow for warrants, and search and seizure of evidence. In some cases, they may even be allowed to make arrests.
You will not be informed of the exact nature of an investigation until after it has concluded — which may be in court if you are charged.
A common belief is that only those who openly scam the system get investigated for benefits fraud — this is not true. While the DWP does act on reports from the public, it also has its own sophisticated means of detecting when fraudulent activity might be taking place - which means anyone receiving benefits from the DWP could be investigated at any time.
What happens during a DWP investigation?
If you are to be formally investigated by the DWP, you will be notified either through writing, by phone call, or via email. You will also be informed whether you will be visited by a Fraud Investigation Officer (FIO), or whether you will be required to attend an interview.
At the beginning of an investigation, you may not be informed that one is being carried out — and may only be told once the DWP has determined whether is good reason to look into the matter further. Since many tip-offs and reports turn out to not be true, the DWP aims to ensure that they do not waste their time on a fruitless investigation.
What type of evidence can be gathered during a DWP investigation
DWP investigators have the power to collect a number of types of evidence against claimants, including:
inspector reports from surveillance activities
photographs or videos
audio recordings
correspondence
financial data, including bank statements
interviews with you or people you know
any evidence submitted by those who reported you
Investigators may also look at your social media presence to check for pictures and location check-ins that may help their fraud case. People who use social media regularly will leave behind a lot of evidence, which may incriminate them.
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