New powers given to the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) will allow officials to weigh in on suspected Personal Independence Payment (PIP) fraudsters. Solicitors at Stuart Miller have revealed the ways you can tell if you are being investigated.
It comes as part of new measure to clamp down on benefit fraud, which is said to cost the country millions. The experts said: “To put it plainly, no-one is immune from DWP investigation.”
For anyone facing formal probes, the experts said that the DWP will notify you by post, phone or email, depending on your contact information. It will tell you whether you will need to prepare for a visit from a fraud investigation officer or attend an interview.
READ MORE: Full list of State Pension freebies and discounts worth £1,400
Don’t miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the BirminghamLive newsletter here.
But the DWP might not tell you right at the start of its probe as officers need to gather enough evidence to determine whether they need to launch an investigation, Express reports. Investigators have the authority to look over a large amount of evidence related to you and your benefit claim.
They need to do this to figure out if you are legitimately getting the cash which you are claiming. This can include interviews with you or people you know, bank statements, copies of correspondences, audio recordings, videos or photographs.
According to the experts, the DWP can also check your social media and use this as evidence. People at your work, school or other associated establishments may be contacted to verify the things you have reported.
For PIP, investigations may be triggered by reports or concerns that you may have been misleading others about your condition, the severity of its impact on your life or if you failed to notify the DWP of any changes to your disability. These changes can include doctors telling you that your condition is deteriorating or getting better.
Changes also include when a doctor provides a different diagnosis or prognosis or if your condition will last for a shorter or longer time than you reported to the DWP. Tackling benefit fraud has been a major part of Labour’s plans for the DWP.
Efforts started with the Fraud, Error, and Debt Bill which made headlines earlier this year for extending the DWP’s investigative powers and allowing banks to work with the department to provide information about claimant’s accounts. Andrew Western MP said PIP claimants will be subject to ‘more rigorous checks’.
Healthcare staff and case managers handling benefit claims will also under go training to improve their ability to detect and flag suspicious activity effectively.