some advice please

[Guest strangewayofsavin]

Today had a funny phone call, from part of the benefits office, saying that I owed them just over £200, from 1991, when I asked about chasing debts for 6 years, he replied, "not on government debts", I told the bloke that I knew nothing of this debt, and have asked for proof of the debt.

Can they really ask for the money (If I owe it) over 15 years later?

They used a tracing agency to find me, don't surpose, these tracing agencies have got a bad habit of floughting the data protection act by any chance?

The tracing agency phoned a neighbour, and got them to come around with a telephone number, to tell me to phone them as they cannot get hold of me, probably because the phone is in my partners name.

any advice most welcome.

[Guest Zooman]

They probably used your NI number anyway that is not why you posted.

 

The Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) has 6 years to take action through the courts to recover benefit overpayments and social fund loans. This time starts running from the date of the final decision made on the overpayment and from when the social fund loan was due to be paid. But the DWP are still allowed to make deductions from your benefit for a debt over 6 years old as they don’t need to go to court to do this. This applies to overpayments of benefits such as income support, job seekers allowance, pension credit, housing benefit, council tax benefit and paying back social fund loans.