A Birmingham woman endured months of financial pressure and bureaucratic battles after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) wrongly pursued her for a £763 debt she did not owe.
The nightmare begins
Since May, the Department for Work and Pensions had been forcing the woman to make monthly repayments of £50 towards a fraudulent Universal Credit advance. Criminals had successfully claimed the benefits using her stolen identity.
Despite providing evidence of her innocence, the DWP initially treated her as guilty. The department concluded in March that she was the claimant involved, citing what it called 'significant links between you and the claimant'.
Even after she requested a mandatory reconsideration under the DWP's internal review process, the department upheld its original decision, maintaining she was responsible for the debt.
A relentless fight for justice
After reaching out to This is Money for help, benefits expert Sally Hamilton intervened in the case. Her investigation revealed crucial details that proved the woman's identity had been hijacked.
During her probing, Hamilton found the actual claimant had stated they had three children. Furthermore, email addresses provided by the fraudulent claimant, while featuring the victim's name, had nothing to do with her.
The fight to clear her name took an enormous personal toll. The process involved 190 phone calls taking up nearly 50 hours, more than 80 emails sent, and 18 Subject Access Requests made to sort out the mess.
Victory at last
Following Hamilton's intervention, the DWP finally reached a 'change of decision' notice and agreed the case was one of hijacked identity.
The department refunded the £250 the woman had already reluctantly paid towards the £763 Universal Credit debt and cancelled all recovery action.
A DWP spokesman said: 'Our enquiries found M.B.'s identity was used fraudulently to make a benefit claim, and all recovery action has been cancelled. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.'
While the case was eventually resolved in her favour, it highlights the severe challenges innocent people can face when dealing with mistaken identity within the benefits system.
