Why does nothing ever get done? (Benefit Fraud)

[tomtom256]

Perhaps the claim is correct based on her relationship and income and she is winding you up.

 

Does your "friend" open the alleged benefit mail in order to confirm the facts as you see them?

 

If the claim is correct perhaps thats why nothing is done by the HMRC.

 

DWP don't adminster tax credits or child benefit, but this is why the Single Fraud Investigation Service is currently going live.

[tomtom256]

DWP do not administer tax credits or child benefit.

 

HMRC administer both so it's them the complaint needs raising with. As far as I know HMRC haven't transferred to SFIS yet and as such would still investigate tax credit/child benefit only fraud.

 

If the person claiming tax credits and child benefit are also in receipt of a passported benefit then the DWP would investigate on HMRC's behalf.

[tomtom256]

Can people not just accept what i said at face value. I don't want to go into more details to "prove" it to you guys because i dont need to

 

I wouldn't even bother reporting unless i was 100%

 

I suspect the government doesn't really give a toss except to make a few token convictions that make the local newspaper.

 

 

I'll phone the HMRC tax credit line tomorrow.

 

Yes we can take it at face value.

 

However from a fraud investigators view point we get allegations like this all the time and when we look at the claim it's correct. We even have people ring back with further information or to report them again a few months later.

 

We cannot tell the person that the claim is correct, that we have investigated or if the person being reported is even claiming benefits, so it often looks like nothing is done.

 

So to flip it on it's head, maybe take it a face value that what she has told you is pure lies to annoy you.

 

If it is true keep ringing HMRC and reporting it, sooner or later they may action it, although they do not have many criminal investigators and mainly go down a compliance route. If you feel they aren't listening or taking action make a formal complaint to them or get your MP involved.

[tomtom256]

Yes I am, which is why sometimes my posts can be slightly harsh. However i try to help were I can.

 

We get this type complaint all the time, however out of say 10 allegations that are made only between 5 -6 are worth looking at owing to incorrectness and some are just plain malicious. Various agencies also receive 100's of reports of suspected fraud weekly per region and not all can be looked at. They will get risk scored based on information obtained within the reports and those with the best evidence i.e. partner name, employer name etc will get looked over the reports that just Z is working.

 

Tax credits is our biggest bug bear though, as we can't even get HMRC to do anything when we refer cases to them that are on a plate or offer to take the offences for them. This is covered under SFIS though so the issue will slowly be resolved.

 

So I do feel for the OP, but I also see it from the claimants view were sometimes the allegations is just purely malicious. I had a case that would get reported every few months, the claim was correct, however the same person constantly kept ringing stating nothing had been done and they were still on benefits etc. I wanted to say that it had been looked at and all was ok, but from a DPA view point we can't so just have to say that it would be logged again on the system and looked at if required.

 

Maybe she is on the fiddle and maybe the evidence doesn't prove she is and that is why nothing has been done. Remember investigators have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt for a criminal case and probability for a compliance case. Without sufficient evidence you can't get either decision.

 

I am by no way sticking up for them, but there are a lot of hoops to jump through in order to resovle a case.