If a claimant, after some years of claiming ESA, writes to the DWP to declare that they have a certain amount of capital over £6000, and then receives a reply asking for bank statements (with no explanation), is it compulsory to supply statements? What happens otherwise?
And is it standard practice or does it likely mean that a formal fraud investigation has begun, or may begin if no statements are supplied? Note that no fraud has been committed and there should be no reason to suspect any wrongdoing whatsoever.
If bank statements are definitely required, will the claimant's main current account suffice, or must it be for all their bank accounts?
Hi Ken1, I used to work for the DWP and had colleagues in CFIS ( counter fraud investigation service ). It is highly unlikely that your case would be accepted by CFIS because it is just not serious enough. It may fall within the remit of the Compliance Team who investigate minor infringements of DWP rules. It probably won't reach Compliance if it is only a small amount over £6k. Your ESA would usually be suspended until you pop into your local jobcentre with the bank statements that they ask for and that would be for all accounts including joint accounts. Compliance Team interviews are usually conducted at the local Jobcentre. David
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
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