I think i'm going to be prosecuted for social welfare fraud

LegacyUser

Hi all,


I started work last year, I sent off forms and a letter from the employer to the social welfare telling them. I didn't call them and left it, was still being paid normal social welfare. It was recently that my payment changed and I thought it was strange how they had only processed FIS after a long time so did eventually call them and they said they never got a form and my letter and that I was still receiving loan parent!!!!

They said they sent a letter to me but I didn't get that so they sent another which I did get and it said that I had been overpaid and that it was a criminal offence and the words prosecution.

At this point I did start to freak and was/am angry but they seemed to not care and probably don't!

I sent off the form with all my details, p60 and 3 recent payslips.

The deciding officer rang me today and questioned my past addresses and what my living situations had/are being. I lived with my parents up until a month ago until I decided to rent and my partner will be moving in.
I gave her my new address and told her he was going to be moving in soon

There was an address which I used when I first started work because it was closer to and I was only there temporary as work said that there was only a few weeks work available,so that's the address my work had and I had forgotten to update it!
The deciding officer didn't believe my past living situation because of this and is not happy. so I don't know what to do there?

I don't know what to do, I've never been in this amount of trouble before with the law, actually none at all. I never witheld any information and it's all because they didn't get the f&(_(*ng letter, i'm in utter turmoil and i'm so scared.

If work ever find out about this I am going to lose my job, i'm a nurse and any criminal trace and your gone.
It wasn't easy either, I was raising my son single handidly and going to college and then actually getting a job in the recession, my job means mostly everything to me and it's what I have wanted for me and my son for so long and so I didn't have to be on the dole anymore.
ugh I can't even tell anyone because dole cheats are the lowest of the low.

what am I going to do? is there any way I can convince them that i'm not a dole cheat, I really don't think they care if they got the letter or not and are going to take me to court.
I just want to give back the overpaid amount and thats that but it's not going to be that easy.

help!

Sleepy

I really can't see them taking you to court when you're prepared to pay back what *they* overpaid you.

LegacyUser

If they kept paying you the same amount for a year while you were working did you not tweek that something was amiss? I mean was that not the whole point of the letter to stop/change your SW payments. Surely after a year and no change you would have copped this? All you can do is plead your case and hope that you can just pay it back. Best of luck OP.

tan11ie

Listen Calm Down!!! they won't bring you to court they will however look for you to pay the money back that you where overpaid. I'd suggest to them that your willing to pay them back €10 a week. Honest I've been there many moons ago.

January

Were you spending the money!?

metrovelvet

They wont prosecute you, they will ask you to pay it back.

Everything in the family law social welfare system is about the kids not becoming a ward of the state. That costs much more money than bits of fraud here and there.

If they prosecute you and you lose your job then you will become a burden on the state and they dont want that either.