Single mother’s benefit fraud evidenced through Facebook
Single mother’s benefit fraud evidenced through Facebook A mother-of–five’s benefit fraud, totalling around £56,000, has been unveiled through her social media page. Helen Habblett from Dundee had held herself out to have been living as a single mother, after separation from her husband in 2009. However, her Facebook page, bank statements and surveillance revealed a... Read More
Woman claims incapacity benefit while working 40-hour week at Costco
Woman claims incapacity benefit while working 40-hour week at Costco A woman’s nine-year benefit fraud fleeced the public purse of £77,000. Karen Tomlinson from Wakefield claimed that she needed to use a handrail to get in and out of her flat, but it was uncovered that she had actually been working a 40-hour week at... Read More
Bradford woman receives hefty benefit fraud fine
Bradford woman receives hefty benefit fraud fine A woman has been severely reprimanded by a judge after falsely claiming over £50,000 in benefits. Umira Khan, a 39-year-old from Bradford, had no previous conviction, and the judged calculated it would take her over 200 years to pay back the money in full. Despite securing a job... Read More
More than 85% of benefit fraud tip-offs are false, DWP reveals
The government has revealed that, over the last five years, only 153,751 of the 1.6m public tip-offs it has received relating to benefit fraud were genuine and required further action to be taken. The rest, it said, failed to display any signs of fraud. The news came about as the Department for Work and Pensions... Read More
Incredible benefit fraudsters
Incredible benefit fraudsters Benefit fraud is a serious problem in the UK, and one that not only costs the taxpayer money, but also exhausts already stretched resources to their limits. Aside from the monetary loss, there is also a question of morals. Saying that, many people find themselves suddenly tangling with the authorities, having had... Read More
Ignorantia juris non excusat or ignorantia legis neminem excusat
Ignorantia juris non excusat or ignorantia legis neminem excusat No, you haven’t come across an article in a foreign language. It would take too long to explain why, but much of the law in the UK incorporates Latin, a language which fortunately we may not have to speak, but it is helpful if you know... Read More
Being convicted of benefit fraud doesn’t automatically mean you will go to prison
Being convicted of benefit fraud doesn’t automatically mean you will go to prison If you have been suspected of committing benefit fraud and being investigated, it might be encouraging to read that according to an article in the Daily Star Sunday, 99% of benefit fraudsters avoid a prison sentence. While public opinion may be somewhat... Read More
Some unusual excuses given when people have been caught committing benefit fraud
Here at South West Law, one of the U.K.’s leading benefit fraud solicitors based in Bristol, we fully respect the fact that everybody is entitled to a defence and, as a consequence, it is not our place to question or judge the motives of our clients. In many cases where we become involved, the supposedly... Read More
Welfare Benefits Entitlement Cap
Welfare Benefits Entitlement Cap You may have noticed recent press coverage of the reduction in the existing benefit cap. Currently the maximum benefit a family can receive is £26,000 per year. However, from Autumn 2016 that maximum amount will reduce to £20,000, if you live in London the maximum will be £23,000. This will be... Read More
DWP Benefit Fraud Investigations
DWP Benefit Fraud Investigations It may surprise some, especially given the current policy of reducing civil service jobs, to find that the number of benefit fraud investigators has risen from 2,700 last year to almost 3,700 now. Most of this increase is due to Local Authority investigators now working directly for the DWP but it does... Read More