‘Kafkaesque’: teacher in Birmingham fights to clear his name after identity fraud

Michael Bene has spent almost a year contesting matters with the Department for Work and Pensions over a claim made in his name. Photograph: Andrew Fox/The Guardian

A special needs teacher has spent almost a year trying to clear his name after a fraudulent universal credit claim was made using his identity, which has left him on the hook for hundreds of pounds in repayments.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has refused to acknowledge the fraud, even though Michael Bene has supplied evidence he was in the Scottish Highlands when the claimant attended a face-to-face verification interview in Cheshire.