I have been wrongly accused of benefit fraud, what can I do?

If you have been wrongly accused of benefit fraud, the first thing you need to do is to seek proper legal advice. A firm of lawyers with experience of dealing with these kinds of cases will give you advice to help you to fight the case and ensure that you do not make matters worse. They can help you to understand what may have happened to cause you to be investigated and help you to sort out any misunderstandings without making matters worse.

The sooner you seek advice, the better. You will feel much better about the whole situation once you understand what is happening to you and will be equipped to handle the situation calmly and in the best way to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. In this situation, forewarned is definitely forearmed.

Initially, do not worry about pulling together too much information. Speaking to the investigators, at length, is best done after you have sought legal advice. However, at the same time it is important to co-operate with the investigation. Most benefit fraud cases start with a request for you to come in for an interview. Speak to a lawyer well in advance of attending the interview.

You need to be honest with your lawyer about the benefit claims you have made. That is the only way the advice that your lawyer gives you can be relevant to your case. If you give them incomplete information, the advice they give you may end up not being accurate.

If the amount over claimed is small or there are mitigating factors that have caused you to, for example, fail to report a change in circumstances you may be able to sort things out without going to court. However, if you want to take this route you will definitely need the advice of a lawyer that has actual experience of dealing with DWP investigations. At Hylton Potts, we have that experience, so can definitely help you if you have been wrongly accused of benefit fraud.