Benefit Fraud is not a victimless crime. Everyone is a victim of benefit thieves, as they steal money from taxpayers. Darlington Borough Council is committed to combating Benefit Fraud and ensuring that anyone caught stealing money from the Council is dealt with in an appropriate way.
What if I make a mistake on my claim form?
We know that most people are honest and we want to encourage everyone to claim all the benefit they are legally entitled to. We also know that people make genuine mistakes when completing their forms. This is why we investigate all cases thoroughly and ensure that we only take action against people who have knowingly committed fraud.
What happens to people who commit Benefit Fraud?
Any benefit thieves that we catch will have to repay the money they have stolen. We may also take one of three actions:
- We will issue a formal caution. This is serious and an official record of the caution is kept on a central file. If the person commits another fraud, this caution would be mentioned in court.
- We will issue an administrative penalty. This is a fine that has to be paid back to the Council in addition to the overpayment.
- We will prosecute. In the worst cases, we will prosecute benefit thieves.
I know someone who is a Benefit Thief. What should I do?
Please contact us. You do not have to give your name or address. Any information you give is strictly confidential. You can contact us in several ways:
You can write to us at:
Benefit Enquiry Unit
Housing Benefits
Darlington Borough Council
Town Hall
Darlington DL1 5QT
You can ring us on 01325 388517
A member of the Benefit Enquiry Unit will take your call. If no one is available you can leave a message on the answer phone and a member of the Benefit Enquiry Unit will pick up the message when they return to the office. This service is available 24 hours per day.
Alternatively you can contact us through the Shared Fraud Hotline. This is a national Hotline service which is available during office hours 8.00am - 6.00pm. Anything you tell them will be forwarded to us. You can contact the Shared Fraud Hotline on the following free phone number: 0800 328 6340.
If you use a text phone, you can contact the Shared Fraud Hotline on the following number: 0800 328 6341
You can also write to them at the following address:
PO Box No. 647
Preston
PR1 1WA
What will happen then?
We investigate every allegation of benefit fraud. We have to do this thoroughly, and so it may take sometime to complete an investigation. The law states that we must keep all information on our customers confidential, so it is not possible to give progress reports on an investigation.