Bizzarre call from DWP

I had a phone call yesterday from DWP, I receive
(CB)ESA. The caller wanted to know the details of my daughter's annual pay, she pays me & my husband a monthly amount for board & lodging, in connection with our mortgag for which we receive no state assistance. When I told the caller I couldn't answer her questions, she said not to worry, she would write to my daughter. It'll be interesting to see if the letter materialises.
maggie

Dear god but accepting payments like that when your on CB based ESA is perfectly legal. What on earth are they playing at here?

Just to say I had declared my daughter's annual pay & her monthly contribution & also details of my husband's pension when I first claimed ESA last year so I don't understand why the DWP is asking about it now. Perhaps the letter, if it ever arrives, will explain all. In the meantime I remain suspicious, until proved otherwise, of the DWP's motives.
maggie

I still don't get this. Apart from having a pension which does effct things, CB based ESA is a non means tested benefit and the DWP know that full well. They have no right snooping into your financial details like this, particularly in 'cold calling' you in such a manner.

Is this the beginning of a wave of such calls to be visited on CB based benefit claimants due to the over zealous zeal of some private company credit checker?

God I bet the governments just counting the days till nearly everyones forced onto IB based benefits. Then they'll have even more of a field day:(

Just Me wrote:

I still don't get this. Apart from having a pension which does effct things, CB based ESA is a non means tested benefit and the DWP know that full well. They have no right snooping into your financial details like this, particularly in 'cold calling' you in such a manner.

Is this the beginning of a wave of such calls to be visited on CB based benefit claimants due to the over zealous zeal of some private company credit checker?

God I bet the governments just counting the days till nearly everyones forced onto IB based benefits. Then they'll have even more of a field day:(

#
they have a duty to check that people are claiming the right benefits and while this person has a proper claim I am sure there will be some who dont of course the numbers claimng fraud are nowhere near "daily mail " numbers they have a duty to check and tax payers would not be happy if they did not, they can call me when they like

i think ? it says on a few of the forms that they will share info ect ect

might be if IDS Unversal credit works did i just put that silly me

they wont need to call for info they should have

lulu wrote:

Hi everybody
this afternoon I got a call from 0208 511 3518. The lady said she was phoning on behalf of the work and DWP to see what my circumstances were. She then said "we already know you have 2 Bank Accounts and 2 Building Society Accounts. I only have one Bank Account to my nbame and have never had a Building Society Account ever, not ever. Then she saiid the last time we checked one of the Bank Accounts you had £15,000 in it last December. I have NO savings whatsoever and struggle to get from one week to the next. She said she could not tell me how my local Job Centre got my details but she would write and tell them it was wrong. She said the interview on phone would take 20 m ins but as I was anxious she would send me out a Form to complete and send back. She akso asked my my Current Babk Balance- 35 p I told her ! Surely this is not legal or is it ? Anybody else had same call ?

How totally incompetant of them! Sounds like a mistake to me, just hope that they admit that to you. They may be cutting corners in asking you rather than getting you to send in statements, but it would be more reassuring if they had the details correct from the get go.
What I do think is a little odd, is the poster who is on CB based benefits, and although I have read the other comments, I neither understand or accept that they would be interested in a CB based claim, barring occupational pension. Thats not to say that they do not have the right to snoop where they want, of course they can but why would they want to? This begs the question, what is going on?
Maybe they have gotten confused about the posters situation and think that her husbands pension is hers? I dont know, they do have a knack of not collating the correct facts. Or as Just Me wrote, is this bounty hunting move that was widely discussed last year, now kicking in on CB benefits? Sure they have a duty etc etc, but this seems a little extraordinary!!!
Callisto