The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recently announced that fraud and error in the benefits system in the UK has reached record levels, with £8.4 billion overpaid in the last financial year.
The DWP estimates that 3.9 per cent of benefits spending was overpaid during 2020/21 - the highest rate to date and up from 2.4 per cent in the previous financial year, which saw £4.6 billion in overpayments.
Some £6.3 billion of the overpayments are believed to be due to fraud, primarily arising from Universal Credit claims.
However, the DWP has now said that people may be contacted by a Fraud and Error Prevention Service (FEPS) centre to review their benefits claim, often referred to as a claim review.
The DWP has advised that people claiming the following benefits may be contacted by a FEPS centre
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Incapacity Benefit
Income Support
Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
Pension Credit
What the FEPS centre will ask for
The FEPS centre will ask for information similar to what you gave when initially claiming your benefit, such as details about your income and savings.
You may also be asked security questions including:
the date you sign on
other benefits you get
the name of the bank your benefit is paid into
The centre will tell you when and how you need to give the information.
The guidance on GOV.UK warns claimants: “If you do not tell them in time, your benefit payments may be stopped.”
How to check if a FEPS letter, phone call or text is genuine
Letters and forms
Any letters and forms will have the Jobcentre Plus or DWP logo on it.
If you are claiming any of the benefits listed above, but are unsure if the letter is genuine, contact your Jobcentre Plus and the Pension Service if you’re claiming Pension Credit.
Phone calls
DWP guidance states that when a FEPS centre phones you, you will be asked some security questions to confirm your identity.
You may be asked for the name of your bank to check your identity, but you will never be asked for your bank account number or sort code.
Text messages
The FEPS centre sends text messages as reminders to:
return forms
tell them about changes in your circumstances
Text messages from a FEPS centre will show the phone number as ‘Jobcentre Plus’ or ‘Jobcentre +’.
DWP advises claimants that these messages are for information only and will never ask you to reply by text message.
How to appeal a FEPS centre decision
DWP says that claimants have the right to appeal if they disagree with a decision made by a FEPS centre.
Guidance on GOV.UK states: “You’ll be told how to appeal in the letter the centre sends you.”
Find out more about Fraud and Error Prevention Service centres on GOV.UK here.
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