The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is working to crack down on benefit fraud and is opening more investigations into potential cases.
Last year, the DWP launched a new £613million plan to stop an estimated £4billion being lost in fraud and error over the next five years.
More than 20 million people across the UK claim some form of benefit from the DWP, including the state pension.
As of the end of March 2023, the DWP had opened 18,691 open investigations into alleged benefit fraud.
In 2022-23, it took an average of 235 working days for the DWP to complete a benefit fraud investigation.
The common examples of benefit fraud in the UK include:
- 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 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.
If a formal investigation is launched into your claim, you will be notified about it - this will usually be in writing.
According to guidance on GOV.UK, you may also be visited by a Fraud Investigation Office or asked to attend an interview about your claim.
DWP investigators are allowed to gather many types of evidence against a potentially fraudulent claimant.
Fraud investigators currently have a wide range of powers which enable them to gather evidence in a number of ways, including surveillance, interviews, and document tracing.
Under the new proposals, these powers will widen to include executing warrants, search and seizure of evidence and even making arrests.
The most common types of evidence include:
- 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 check your social media accounts and search your online profiles for pictures, location check-ins, and other evidence which may or may not be useful to them.
If your social media posts are not consistent with your claims for benefits, this evidence may be used against you.
The new powers will also include requirements for organisations, such as banks, to share data securely on an increased scale to check levels of savings and whether claimants are living abroad.
No official date has been confirmed by the Government into when these new powers will come into play.
