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Compliance Officer

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10 months 1 week ago #285324 by JaneyJane
Compliance Officer was created by JaneyJane
I have recently had the misfortune of a compliance interview with someone I can only describe as terrible. She a cursed me of having an ISA account (the same accusation as last year and this was disproven) so she requested my bank statements going back 2 years.
She is now saying she knows the ISA isn’t mine but is combing through my statements in a way I find utterly ridiculous. “What did you take £200 out of an ATM ON April 14th 2023 for?” And then asking for receipts!
My ex partners parents are very good to my daughter and have transferred her money for a laptop for school, piano lessons and various school trips (I might add you can then see I pay for these things in the same month or the next month) but this I’m being told is fraud.
“No one can give you any money whilst you are in receipt of government benefits “
During all of this I was sectioned and she still rang and tried to get me to say I knew I was receiving money I shouldn’t have been (the money in question being from my dad for my birthday and my mum pays for my hair integration as I have alopecia) she then said she needed another 2 months bank statements so I should sign out of hospital and pop to the bank! Not sure if she knows what being sectioned means.
This is still ongoing I’m not sure what she is actually accusing me of but I snapped yesterday and said “for gods sake what is it your wanting”
Her response was as follows
“Your mental health is not the concern of the dwp, their are rules you have to follow regardless of you being in hospital, I am a Compliance Officer all it takes is one call to your bank and they send me every bit of information they hold about you, I can access your health records and I often watch people covertly and they don’t even know it, so wouldn’t it be easier to do as I ask rather than force me to play hardball?”
I slightly ashamed to say I told her I didn’t want to carry on the conversation and if she felt she needs to close my benefit claims do so and hung up. My mental health then went drastically downhill again (I had been making some progress.)
My Psychiatrist has written a letter detailing how I’ll I am at present and we have contacted my MP but I really thought compliance was more about error than fraud which is what it looks like she’s accusing me of.
A final question. I’m supposed to, health allowing, go to visit my mum out of the country in a week or so and she’s saying that won’t be happening until “she’s done with me” she can cancel my passport according to her.

All this my well be true but I haven’t as far as I knew broken any rules. I do have one ISA WITH £3000 in it (a LISA) but I have always declared that to the dwp.
She is definitely a compliance officer as her letters are signed as such.
Any advice or reassurance would be most welcome.
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10 months 1 week ago #285352 by Gary
Replied by Gary on topic Compliance Officer
Hi JaneyJane

Welcome to the forum.

You might want to have a look at the following FAQ which explains where everything is; www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/guides-for-claimants/faq/forum.

You have done the right thing by going to your MP, what you want to do is record her conversation next time she calls, without telling her.

I would also seek advice from your local Welfare Rights Organisation or even a Law Centre; advicelocal.uk or lawcentres.org , they may be able to help you write a formal complaint.

You can have up to £6k in savings without affecting benefits, you only need to declare regular income, not one off payments from a grandmother to her granddaughter.

Gary

Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
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10 months 1 week ago #285357 by denby
Replied by denby on topic Compliance Officer
Hi JaneyJane, you know what you've 'done wrong'??? You've acted 'middle class' by having your daughter have piano lessons and attend school trips, even though you are not paying for these. This appalling woman should not be allowed to get away with such [I'm running out of string adjectives here] utterly repellent, unbelievably bullying behaviour. She is wrong anyway, suspicion of fraud should not obviate [remove] DWP's obligation to deal carefully with claimants with severe mental health issues.
I was in a very similar situation many years ago with my mum subbing school trips and music lessons, and we were accused of 'intentional deprivation of capital' after eating and heating our way through a small legacy. They docked £1 a week for every £250 or part thereof, it was hell as they refused to accept the money had been genuinely used up on normal spending. Since when have building societies paid out 20% a year interest???
So glad your Psychiatrist is supportive, I hope the MP is too, please take care, Denby
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10 months 1 week ago #285366 by JaneyJane
Replied by JaneyJane on topic Compliance Officer
She’s questioning my access to work payments (I worked and declared it and got help with travel costs , well I was reimbursed) but she’s now saying that too was income and should have been declared.
When I explained I needed to move one of our “chats” as my father is terminally ill and I needed to wait on a call from him I was told it all sounded “ a bit too convenient “ and as such she wouldn’t move the call.
I am not exaggerating when I say she literally scared me into a suicide attempt and I’m still being hounded despite being sectioned.
She can apparently make one call and get all my bank, credit card and health records and seems hellbent on pining something on me.
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10 months 1 week ago #285385 by Chris
Replied by Chris on topic Compliance Officer
Hi JaneyJane,

OMG - that sounds an awful experience. I worked in finance for many years, and I can't get my head around "help with travel costs" being classified as income, especially if it was public transport for example. Surely if a bus journey costs £2 there and back for example, and you get £2 travel costs, then that leaves a 0 figure, so how can that be taken into account as income ?

This compliance officer sounds like they believe they're one of the important type of people where what they say goes - I think I'd be seriously thinking about lodging a complaint if I was being spoken too like that.

Regards, Chris.

Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
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10 months 1 week ago #285389 by wibblum
Replied by wibblum on topic Compliance Officer
Shouldn't this jumped-up little Nazi primarily be concerning herself with your incoming finances rather than your outgoing ones? What business of hers is it where it goes, her only concern should be where it comes from.

As for hounding you in hospital, surely (at least until Stride gets his way) this is actual harrassment?

Your MP needs to get onto this as soon as humanly possible, and you need to inform and involve your health professionals and be telling as many people as will listen about it. You also need to record as many of your interactions with this - person - as you possibly can from this point on.

“No one can give you any money whilst you are in receipt of government benefits “

Absolutely ridiculous (which of course sadly doesn't make it unlikely with the DWP).

I don't get Housing Benefit because my adult son lives in my home. The rent (and Council Tax) still has to be paid, though, so he (correctly according to DWP rules as he is working full-time) pays for both in full. The tenancy and C.Tax are still in my name, though, so the money has to go into my account to be paid in my name. Does this count as me being 'given money'? Under their rules, I suppose it does.
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