More than 20 million people throughout Scotland and the UK claim the State Pension or benefits through the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
With the cost of living crisis continuing to worsen, households across the country receive money from the UK Government to help with day-to-day costs.
As reported by the Daily Record, last week the DWP unveiled a new £613 million plan to prevent an expected £4 billion from being lost in fraud and error over the next five years.
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The ‘Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System’ plan reveals that the DWP will train a new team of approximately 2,000 workers to review more than 2 million existing Universal Credit claims.
These DWP workers will investigate the entitlements and circumstances of Universal Credit claims that the DWP has deemed to be at risk of being false.
This will include claims that were made throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the DWP, it saw approximately £6.3 billion of welfare fraud last year — a significant increase from the £2.8 billion reported the year before.
In addition, it reported £2.1 billion lost due to error, totalling £8.4 billion — or 3.9% of benefit expenditure.
Benefit fraud is defined by the DWP as when somebody "obtains state benefit they are not entitled to or deliberately fails to report a change in their personal circumstances.”
The most frequent type of benefit fraud occurs when someone receives unemployment benefits even when they are working.
Another common form of benefit fraud is when a claimant states that they live by themselves, but are in fact financially supported by a partner or spouse.
Failure to inform the DWP of a "change of circumstances" — such as a partner moving in with you or that you have inherited a sum of money — could be classed as 'fraud by omission'.
Being investigated for fraud by the DWP can be a very worrying situation, particularly when you are unsure of the reason.
Many investigators from the DWP are dressed in ordinary clothes and can appear at your home or place of work at any moment.
However, being aware of some important information regarding DWP investigations can be very beneficial and allow you to continue living your life as normally as possible during the course of an investigation.
Ordinarily, benefits-related fraud refers to when somebody claims benefits to which they were not entitled on purpose, such as by not reporting a change in circumstances or by providing false information.
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 each of these scenarios, the DWP will require evidence that proves somebody is claiming a benefit that they are not entitled to.
A number of powers have been given to DWP investigators in order to help them gather evidence.
These include surveillance, interviews, and document tracing — and under new proposals will be widened to include executing warrants, search and seizure of evidence and even making arrests.
The exact nature of an investigation being made against you will not be disclosed until after it is completed — which may mean when you are charged with an offence in court.
Many people falsely believe that only those who are openly scamming the DWP will be investigated for fraud and other offences.
However, 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 being formally investigated by the DWP, you will be notified either through a written letter, email, or phone call.
Once you have been informed, you will be told whether a Fraud Investigation Officer (FIO) will visit, or whether you are required to go to an interview.
You may not be informed of an investigation during its initial stages, and may only be told after the DWP has assessed whether there is good reason to formally investigate a potential case of fraud.
A large proportion of tip-offs and reports end up being false, so the DWP needs to ensure that it is not wasting its time on a fruitless investigation.
Once there is sufficient evidence, you will be notified that an official investigation has been launched.
DWP investigators are allowed to gather many types of evidence against a potentially fraudulent claimant.
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
One common form of benefit fraud is falsely reporting income, or failure to report it altogether.
If you are claiming unemployment benefits but are seen to attend a workplace, the DWP may talk to the owner or manager of that business to find out exactly why you are there, what work you are doing and how much you are being paid.
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.
Those who use social media a lot will leave a trail of their life and habits, often allowing investigators to piece together a picture of what that person’s life actually looks like.
If this is not consistent with the details of that person’s claim for benefits, that evidence may end up being used against them.
What if I am falsely reported to the DWP?
False reports of benefit fraud are common in the UK, with some studies indicating there are around 140,000 made each year.
Until the DWP determines that there is no case against you, there is little you can do. Co-operate as best as you can and remember that those found to have reported others falsely for malicious reasons may end up being prosecuted.
If you are concerned about a current or future DWP investigation against you or someone you care about, seeking advice from a legal expert could help.
Citizens Advice Scotland may also be able to offer free and impartial advice, you can contact them here.
You can report fraud by calling MyGov.Scot free on 0800 158 2071 or by post here.
