DWP hire 'surveillance officers' to spy on Universal Credit claimants

DWP hire 'surveillance officers' to spy on Universal Credit claimants

Quote from the job advert DWP are using to hire snoopers:

"This is an opportunity to join our team of highly trained, dedicated operatives in this challenging but highly rewarding role. This is not a normal office hours role. It will require you to work unsociable hours (early start and late finishes) including some weekend work alongside a good level of fitness.”

https://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/24237780.dwp-hire-covert-surveillance-officers-spy-benefits-claimants/

To be fair to the DWP, Compliance & Fraud has always had staff with surveillance as part of their remit. Most suspected fraud leaves a paper trail so is more straightforward to untangle. Surveillance is very expensive and time consuming so tends to be targeted at certain types of fraud, particularly if prosecution is the aim.

And don't forget #Ignatius. Claimants doing Voluntary work. As I found out when I was "Grassed up" (allegedly). And had an interview with the DWP🧻 investigation team🥸. For doing Voluntary work! So you don't need to be the sharpest todo this role it seems....🥴

In the article "
Meanwhile, Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman said the system of imposing sanctions of benefits claimants had already cost lives. "



“And we should be tackling the real scroungers - the tax dodgers and tax avoiders that rob the public purse of resources that should be being used to make our society fairer and more equal.”

I can't see it happening thou🥴. Easier to go after the easy targets. Also no mention of Claimants that are 'Falsely Accused'...

While we are on the topic of Covert operations. Does anyone recon, Retread (restart) provider's. Employ covert staff, in any capacity...🥸.

Did you fill in the correct form to advise them you were doing voluntary work, Pintel? If so, it's worrying they chose to interrogate you. I hope you didn't let the ace interrogation team look up your bum because they haven't (yet) got full police search powers. Until they do, bodily orifices remain the best place to hide money in excess of the capital thresholds, with additional fraud potential for women obviously.

My flabber would be well and truly gasted if Restart officially employed covert ops. If they suspect something dodgy about a claimant they are expected to inform the DWP according to the guidance. If they did have undcover agents, they wouldn't need to harass people for job details etc.

The DWP have the authority to do all kinds of things via Social Security legislation, the details of which escape me. Fraud officers can lawfully do various forms of snooping and organisations, like banks and employers, potentially commit an offence if they don't co-operate with them.

A link to the Social Security Fraud Act's Code of Conduct for anyone interested in who can snoop, how they can snoop and who must co-operate with the snoopers.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-security-fraud-code-of-practice-on-obtaining-information#:~:text=Code%20of%20practice%20on%20obtaining%20information%3A%20Social%20Security%20Fraud%20Act%202001,-Ref%3A%20ISBN%209781474136303

Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act is what governs their surveillance powers.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulation-of-investigatory-powers-act-2000-ripa/regulation-of-investigatory-powers-act-2000-ripa

Pintel wrote:While we are on the topic of Covert operations. Does anyone recon, Retread (restart) provider's. Employ covert staff, in any capacity...🥸.

I wouldn't employ any covert restart advisors; they don't have the brain cells.🧠

My last advisor thought she was anonymous to the public eye she even said this.

The amount of information I got from her through her social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. I even asked her how the wedding was. Even the venue she used.

Right now, I'm trolling through LinkedIn's provider pages with a fake account reading everything.

The only person who is very hidden is my work coach—no second name (I only found out her second name when a work roach sitting next to her said it after 2 years), not even one social media account. Maybe I go completely covert and follow her to her car park after work, write down the car registration plate, and check it online (MOT, etc.).

Benefit Fraud Report Number
Note: You can report benefit fraud online using the government reporting service. There are several other ways of reporting benefits fraudsters, such as by telephone or by post.
National Benefit Fraud Hotline (NBFH)
Telephone: 0800 854 440
Textphone: 0800 328 0512
Welsh Language: 0800 678 3722
Monday to Friday: 8am to 6pm

Please report every Restart provider and staff. They will be investigated.

What a fucking scam! How long?
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/fraudsters-behind-539-million-benefits-scam-brought-to-justice-in-countrys-largest-benefit-fraud-case

This is still 1/4 of 1% of benefit fraud. My arse.

I was truly 'Broad-sided', when I read Disability Assessor's where using private investigators, to assess claimants....

So you can't say theses Provider's/Companies wouldn't try such a thing? As it seems there model, is to copy the DWP, when ever possible?

️ #designergas, with regards to your Roach . You have to wonder how long before the JCP 🧻 staff start to use a 'Non de Plume' instead of there real names🥸. Must make them, paranoid with all the problems they cause from the sanctions regime....

🫑#Ignatius, no they didn't voyage up my Poop deck, so to speak. Mind you would they get a Bruce-y Bonus, if they had to perform this unsavoury task...

I do have some sympathy with WC on aspects of this. My WC told me they don't use their surnames anymore to make it harder for people to track them down on social media. Whatever they do in their day job, harassing them in their private life probably isn't the answer. A stiff complaint to their manager/MP is the way to go. WC using nom de plumes is one cool idea. Maybe they could use it bring back some of those 70/80s names you don't get any more, or it could be like French lessons at school where we had a french name. I can still remember my french name, and what the little picture was on my coat peg at primary school.

RIPA allows only public bodies to use surveillance so I don't think providers could get away with it. I'm also not sure what a provider would gain from it either. Surveillance isn't cheap. The DWP can justify it in specific circumstances as evidence from it will close a benefit claim/recover an overpayment.

As for disability assessors using private investigators, did the article you read clarify if this was as part of a fraud investigation? If so, it would probably be par for the course.

Ignatius wrote:I do have some sympathy with WC on aspects of this. My WC told me they don't use their surnames anymore to make it harder for people to track them down on social media. Whatever they do in their day job, harassing them in their private life probably isn't the answer. A stiff complaint to their manager/MP is the way to go. WC using nom de plumes is one cool idea. Maybe they could use it bring back some of those 70/80s names you don't get any more, or it could be like French lessons at school where we had a french name. I can still remember my french name, and what the little picture was on my coat peg at primary school.

RIPA allows only public bodies to use surveillance so I don't think providers could get away with it. I'm also not sure what a provider would gain from it either. Surveillance isn't cheap. The DWP can justify it in specific circumstances as evidence from it will close a benefit claim/recover an overpayment.

As for disability assessors using private investigators, did the article you read clarify if this was as part of a fraud investigation? If so, it would probably be par for the course.

Funny work coach hiding their surnames scared of being harassed. Treat people well. You have no problems my restart advisors even started to hide mobile numbers now.
Must be the abuse they get.

It is very strange to see this story about DwP wanting to hire private investigators to spy on claimants. Have you guys seen the news? The biggest benefits fraud in history 54 million pounds by a gang of five Romanians, which I find very unbelievable figure. Sounds like a false flag to monitor us even more and impose stricter rules on claimaints. A single £10 overpayment on my benefits DWP already onto your case.

The trouble with all of this empowerment. Of Surveillance, Bank Accounts, and Ability to Arrest people. The DWP is getting, surely these are dangerous water there heading into? You have to wonder how Stasi, ended up like it did with monitoring of civilians? Was it little by little...



https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stasi

#Ignatius, you must of gone to a good school. We had to grab any free peg at primary sch. And even then there was competition for the best ones... It must of been like having your own parking bay...

LOL Pintel.

Did we not re-title this site as do not forgive do not forget tell them nothing?

Good in principle #0neman.... But how long before the Tinker's, are 'Bin️ diving' to dig up any dirt on us?

Pintel wrote:Good in principle #0neman.... But how long before the Tinker's, are 'Bin️ diving' to dig up any dirt on us?

I bin dive for the recycling money every fucking week!

I do not forgive or forget.

They made this. Not me.

oneman wrote:

Pintel wrote:Good in principle #0neman.... But how long before the Tinker's, are 'Bin️ diving' to dig up any dirt on us?

Here's a daft part that I can't work out on this site.Pintel?

How do I get every "NEW" and old topics notification? I get some old by ticking the bottom but not the new. How does that work?

I miss a lot of new topics. Why is that.

I PRESUME I have been missing something.

Pintel, I thought all the little 'uns got their own coat peg with cute little picture on it. Next time my WC asks why I am a jobless loser, I will point to my gilded upbringing of my own cute coat peg from the age of 5. It made me believe I was a natural born aristocrat who would never be expected to demean myself by working for a living.

Yet I Ignatius, seems to have set sail 🧜, from the other side... It seems I was destined to be a 'Jobless-Loser'. From starting my formal education. I only wished we spent more time on "filling in application forms & job seeking". Than wasting time on Mathematics & Sciences... 🥴

Pintel wrote:The trouble with all of this empowerment. Of Surveillance, Bank Accounts, and Ability to Arrest people. The DWP is getting, surely these are dangerous water there heading into? You have to wonder how Stasi, ended up like it did with monitoring of civilians? Was it little by little...



https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stasi

#Ignatius, you must of gone to a good school. We had to grab any free peg at primary sch. And even then there was competition for the best ones... It must of been like having your own parking bay...

Hired a team to spy on claimants and wonder if they actually scrapped universal credit all in one system and returned to JSA, tax credit, and housing benefit.

How much fraud are they stopping? Back to the three departments system process. I heard my advisor say during COVID no face to face appointments that people are taking advance payments with a family of 5 that some really serious cash plenty loopholes on universal credit, probably the same software used with the post office scandal miscalculating the figures plenty wrong earnings report with universal credit.

Yes *Designergas, they (The DWP🧻) are so worried about fraud. That I am having a preminition, that a similar situation as the Horizon Post office scandal. Will happen with the UC system. Anyone want to take the bet?.. .

Either that or get Horizon to calculate the jobless totals ..

It wouldn't surprise me at all. The figure for actual overpayments attributable to DWP error is a bit eye watering. UC with reliance on Real Time Earnings Information submitted by employers does appear to have more chances to go wrong.

On the other hand, May has apparently always been a busy month for DWP fraud teams. Lots of people who "forget" to report ISAs to the DWP overlook that every April their bank reports the interest earned to HMRC who in turn do data matching with the DWP ...

Ignatius wrote:It wouldn't surprise me at all. The figure for actual overpayments attributable to DWP error is a bit eye watering. UC with reliance on Real Time Earnings Information submitted by employers does appear  to have more chances to go wrong.

On the other hand, May has apparently always been a busy month for DWP fraud teams. Lots of people who "forget" to report ISAs to the DWP overlook that every April their bank reports the interest earned to HMRC who in turn do data matching with the DWP ...

I never trusted UC at all, which is why I remained on JSA; they always said, Why you are better off? Blah blah, earnings alone can mess up my assessment period, and the work coach will book your appointment that clashes with your work day and that stupid journal, and the earning threshold having a nagging work coach do more hours will wait for that migration letter. I probably will not last long on UC. I will just pick up a second job, like 10 hours. 

Could be seen as a dangerous profession working as a Roach.

You are correct, jobber. These articles are rather dated but the gist probably reflects WC current work environment.

https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/helping-the-jobless-is-uks-most-dangerous-occupation/

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/a-3e47-wave-of-assaults-on-jobcentre-staff-as-benefit-cuts-bite