What is benefit fraud
Benefit fraud occurs where a claimant, landlord or third party deliberately misrepresents their circumstances, or fails to declare a change in their circumstances in order to receive Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit or Social Security Benefits to which they know they are not entitled.
Examples of benefit fraud are:
- Failure to declare or under declare work or earnings
- Failure to declare savings, capital, property or land
- Claiming as a single person while living with a partner
- Failure to declare other people living in a property
- People who claim for an address that they do not live in or do not have a liability to pay rent for
- Failure to declare vacation of a property for which they receive benefit
- Failure to report a change in household income / circumstances
- Failure to report an increase in any state benefits / tax credits
- Failure to report when children / young adults / lodgers start work
