Benefit Fraud Allegations

Benefit Fraud Allegations

We have considerable experience of representing clients charged with a variety of tax & benefit fraud allegations. These are usually brought by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) or local councils. Penalties can be severe and may include prison. The government has recently devoted increased staff and resources to tax and benefit fraud investigations.

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Are you under investigation, about to be interviewed or due in court? Call our team now on 0808 252 7395 or fill out a contact form.

In some cases, we are able to show that claimants have been wrongly prosecuted, and should instead have been dealt with by Caution or Administrative Penalty as an alternative to prosecution. In this way, we have helped a number of clients to avoid conviction and saved their careers.

In other cases, prosecutors exaggerate the value of the overpayment by failing to calculate the claimant’s legitimate benefit entitlement, (for example to contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance). This can make a huge difference to the outcome of a case and is something we will always check. We will also carefully check the prosecution paperwork, as it isn’t always right.

A recent report by the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee, for example, suggests that every month the DWP wrongly sanctions 5% of all Job Seeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimants.

In appropriate cases, we can obtain medical evidence which may result in you avoiding prosecution.

We can represent you with fraud allegations involving any type of benefit, including:

  • Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
  • Income Support
  • Universal Credit
  • Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
  • Personal Independence Payment
  • Child Benefits
  • Working Tax Credits
  • Child Tax Credits
  • Council Tax Benefits
  • Housing Benefits
  • Attendance Allowance
  • Carers Allowance
  • Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

Legal aid, (subject to means), is usually available for these cases and covers both interviews under caution and any court proceedings.

Many clients come to us following a recommendation by a support worker or other adviser.

If you are under investigation or about to be interviewed about benefit fraud – We can help.

Freephone
0161 834 9494