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1258908

registered interest
date	07/12/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her letter of 20 July 2020 to the Work and Pensions Committee, how many cases of universal credit identity hijack her Department (a) has investigated since October 2018 and (b) is currently investigating.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	125936
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2020 answer text <p>In terms of UC Advances cases where an individual’s identity has been hijacked, we have investigated a significant number of potential or alleged UC Advances frauds and to date have found 36 cases where the person had been a genuine victim of hijacked id. Other cases are still in the process of being investigated. We cannot provide details of any potential identity frauds as the outcomes (of each case) cannot be pre-determined.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Cyber Resilience Centre within the Department for Work and Pensions thwarted attempts made to defraud the Government of an estimated £1.7bn through organised criminal attacks on the Universal Credit system.</p><p> </p><p>The Department was able to intervene on around 133,000 linked fraudulent claims and prevent the vast majority from being paid. Some claims received an advance or progressed to payment, but were subsequently detected and payments stopped immediately, with less than £50 million paid out in total.</p><p> </p><p>These claims used hijacked identities, but the identities were not stolen from the Department. Of the attempted fraudulent claims only a very small minority used the identities of existing benefit claimants. Where existing claims have been affected, the Department has reinstated the original claim.</p><p> </p><p>All figures used in this response are correct as of 20 November 2020.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 10/12/2020 17:58:33 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1258910

registered interest
date	07/12/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the letter of 21 November 2020 from the Permanent Secretary to the Work and Pensions Committee, how many cases of universal credit identity hijack have been referred to the Stolen Identity Team since 24 June 2020.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	125937
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2020 answer text <p>As at 8 December 2020, the total number of suspected cases of Universal Credit identity hijack referred to the Stolen Identity Team since 24 June 2020 was 5,894.</p><p> </p><p>The vast majority of benefit expenditure is paid correctly, with front line staff working hard to prevent incorrect and fraudulent payments. We are constantly improving our processes and continue to use data to identify fraud and better target our investigations.</p><p> </p><p>The Department continues to take fraud seriously, and will continue to challenge people who seek to abuse the system, employing the full range of penalties at its disposal.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 10/12/2020 17:59:00 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

1241297

registered interest
date	07/10/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support victims of universal credit scams.
tabling member constituency	Coventry North East
tabling member printed	Colleen Fletcher
uin	100430
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2020 answer text <p>The Department takes this issue very seriously and we continue to look across government and beyond to tackle benefit fraud.</p><p> </p><p>In June, the Department launched a new process for claimants who allege that without their participation or knowledge, their identity has been used to make a fraudulent claim for Universal Credit. Where this is found to be the case, the Department will consider reinstatement of relevant legacy benefits and/or tax credits.</p><p> </p><p>The Department considers each case on its own merits and decisions are made on the strength of the evidence provided.</p><p> </p><p>If a claimant has been the victim of a scam, and has not benefited from it in any way, they will not be held liable for any debt. In these cases, we will seek to recover any losses from the perpetrator of any fraud.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 12/10/2020 15:51:32 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4378 label Biography information for Colleen Fletcher

1219796

registered interest
date	01/07/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2020 to PQ 62300 on Universal Credit: Fraud, at what stage her Department's investigations into cases of universal credit scams for claimants in the Borough of Halton are; and when those claimants will have their benefits restored.
tabling member constituency	Halton
tabling member printed	Derek Twigg
uin	67552
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2020 answer text <p>The Department does not store information at a constituency level. As a result, providing the requested information would incur disproportionate costs.</p><p> </p><p>If an individual approaches DWP alleging they have had their identity fraudulently used, we will investigate the matter. We endeavour to ensure that these investigations are brought to a conclusion as quickly as possible.</p><p> </p><p>Where a person has had their details used to make a fraudulent claim for Universal Credit, the Department may consider the reinstatement of legacy benefits where it is clear they played no part in the making of the claim.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 06/07/2020 16:11:09 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	429 label Biography information for Derek Twigg

1215989

registered interest
date	22/06/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, at what stage his Department's investigations into cases of universal credit scams for claimants in Halton constituency are; and when those claimants will have their benefits restored.
tabling member constituency	Halton
tabling member printed	Derek Twigg
uin	62300
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2020 answer text <p>The Department does not hold this data by constituency and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 25/06/2020 15:26:58 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	429 label Biography information for Derek Twigg

1176774

registered interest
date	06/02/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many fraudulent cases of universal credit advance were (a) recorded and (b) processed at Jobcentres in (i) Preston, (ii) Blackburn, (iii) Blackpool and (iv) Bolton; what the value was of those fraudulent claims; and how much each claimant had to repay as a result of a fraudulent claim made on their behalf by a third party in the last two years.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	13420
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/02/2020 answer text <p>I estimate that providing the information you request would incur disproportionate costs.</p><p> </p><p>However, let me assure you that the Department takes this issue very seriously. We have set up a dedicated team to investigate this type of fraud and are proactively addressing it by using messaging on social media to remind people of the importance of safeguarding their identity, as well as shutting down social media sites that promote this fraud.</p><p> </p><p>We have also made changes to the Universal Credit advance application process. Universal Credit claimants who wish to apply for a new claim advance are now required to attend a face to face interview. This change will help protect claimants from identity fraud and becoming victims of third party scams.</p><p> </p><p>If a claimant has been the victim of a scam, and has not benefited from an advance in any way, they will not be asked to repay it. In these cases, we will seek recovery from the perpetrator of the scam. The Department considers all cases on their own merits and decisions are made on the strength of the evidence provided.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 14/02/2020 12:40:00 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1145855

registered interest
date	25/09/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department has taken to prevent third-party universal credit fraud.
tabling member constituency	High Peak
tabling member printed	Ruth George
uin	291055
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department has raised awareness of Universal Credit advance fraud via Jobcentreplus and a dedicated social media campaign, which reminds people of the importance of safeguarding their identity. The Department has also worked with social media sites to shut down pages that promote this type of fraud, with 125 pages closed to date.</p><p> </p><p>The Department remains committed to keeping all Universal Credit services and processes, including advance payments, under review, and are making improvements to address any vulnerability in the system.</p><p> </p><p>The Department now requires customers not only to prove their identity, but also attend a face to face interview at the Jobcentre before they can claim an advance. The Department remains on track with design and test activity to further reduce the risk of opportunistic advances fraud by using real time validation of key elements of the application.</p><p> </p><p>In each instance we are taking care to ensure that there is no adverse effect on our ability to provide advance payments to those who need them.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 01/10/2019 15:33:01 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman previous answer version 136339 answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

1145856

registered interest
date	25/09/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many third parties who have allegedly scammed people into making a universal credit claim have been identified and investigated; and how many of those third parties have been referred for prosecution.
tabling member constituency	High Peak
tabling member printed	Ruth George
uin	291056
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/10/2019 answer text <p>Examination of the cases currently being progressed by the Department indicates there are 107 third-party individuals that are subject to investigation. This number is subject to change as cases progress.</p><p> </p><p>At the time of submission, one 3rd party case has been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service and has been successfully prosecuted. There are a number of other cases at an advanced stage of investigation.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 02/10/2019 15:21:38 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman previous answer version 136340 answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

1145971

registered interest
date	25/09/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many administrative penalties her Department has levied on individuals who have reported they have been a victim of universal credit fraud.
tabling member constituency	High Peak
tabling member printed	Ruth George
uin	291086
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/10/2019 answer text <p>The information you have requested could only be provided by manually examining a substantial number of individual cases. The Department estimates that this would incur disproportionate costs.</p><p> </p><p>For the sake of clarity the policy is that an Administrative Penalty is only ever considered as an alternative to a referral for a prosecution in cases where benefit fraud has been committed, and not for innocent victims who report fraud.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 01/10/2019 16:30:25 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman previous answer version 136341 answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

1145972

registered interest
date	25/09/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Universal Credit: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in how many interviews under caution have individuals who have reported they have been a victim of universal credit fraud had a legal representative to accompany them.
tabling member constituency	High Peak
tabling member printed	Ruth George
uin	291087
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/10/2019 answer text <p>I have interpreted your question to relate to Universal Credit advances fraud.</p><p> </p><p>The information requested could only be provided by manually examining the cases. We estimate that this would incur disproportionate costs. However, all claimants are entitled to bring a legal representative and are advised of this in their invitation to interview.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 01/10/2019 16:23:33 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman previous answer version 136343 answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George