The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) may be monitoring your bank and social media accounts as part of a crackdown on benefits fraud.
Over 20 million people throughout Scotland and the UK claim State Pension or benefits from the DWP to help with daily living costs. Earlier in 2022, the DWP unveiled a £613 million plan to prevent approximately £4 billion being lost due to fraud and error in the next five years.
As reported by the Daily Record, from 2021 to 2022 there have been 600 convictions for benefit fraud across Scotland and the UK. The ‘Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System’ plan reveals that the DWP is putting together a team of around 2,000 people to review over 2 million Universal Credit claims.
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The team will investigate the entitlements and circumstances of Universal Credit claims that the DWP have flagged as being at risk of being either erroneous or fraudulent. This includes suspicious claims that were made during the peak of the Covid pandemic.
According to the DWP, approximately £6.3 billion was lost in 2021 due to welfare fraud — a major increase from £2.8 billion the year before. Together with £2.1 billion of error, around £8.4 billion was lost overall.
The DWP states that benefit fraud occurs when “someone obtains state benefit they are not entitled to or deliberately fails to report a change in their personal circumstances”.
The most frequently occurring variety of benefit fraud is when an individual claims unemployment benefits while in work. Another occurs when a claimant states that they live by themselves, but are in fact financially supported by someone else.
Failure to inform the DWP about a "change of circumstances" may also be categorised as 'fraud by omission'. You must inform the UK Government if you begin living with a partner or move home, or if a deceased relative has left you money.
Being investigated by the DWP for fraud can be a stress-inducing situation, especially since most investigators wear normal clothes and can show up at your home or place of work at any moment. Therefore, being aware of DWP investigations can take some of the worry out of the situation and allow you to carry on your life as normally as possible while one is underway.
Common examples of benefit fraud
faking an illness or injury to get unemployment or disability benefits
failing to report income from a business or employment to make income seem lower than it actually is
living with someone who contributes to the household income without declaring that income to the authorities
falsifying accounts to make it seem like a person has less money than they say they do
In these circumstances, the DWP will require evidence that proves somebody is getting a benefit they should not be entitled to.
Fraud investigators possess a large range of powers to help them gather evidence in numerous ways, such as surveillance, interviews, and document tracing. Under new proposals, these powers would be widened to include executing warrants, search and seizure of evidence and even making arrests.
If you are being investigated, you will not be informed of the specific details until after it is concluded. This could be in court if you are charged with an offence.
What happens during a DWP investigation?
If the DWP intends to launch a formal investigation against you, you will be notified either in writing, by telephone, or via email. You will also be informed if you are to be visited by a Fraud Investigation Officer (FIO), or whether they require you to attend an interview.
At the beginning of an investigation, you may not be informed that one is being carried out until the DWP has decided if there is good reason to formally investigate a potential case of fraud. Since a large number of tip-offs and reports end up being false, the DWP wants to ensure that they do not waste their time on a fruitless investigation.
Once there is enough evidence, the DWP will officially launch an investigation. It is at this point that you will be notified.
In the early stages of an investigation, you may not be told that one is underway until the DWP has assessed whether there is good reason to formally investigate a potential case of fraud.
Many tip-offs and reports turn out to be false, so the DWP wants to make sure that they do not waste their time on a pointless investigation.
As soon as there is enough evidence of potential fraud, the DWP will launch an official investigation and notify you.
Read on for a rundown of the most common types of evidence that DWP investigators gather.
Most common types of evidence
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
A common type of fraud is falsely reporting income, or failing to do so altogether.
If you claim unemployment benefits but are seen attending a place of work, the DWP may speak with the owner or manager to learn more. Investigators may also look at you social media accounts to find useful information.
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