Benefit Fraud

What is 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 Support 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

Report fraud

If you wish to report Housing Benefit fraud this can be done in the following ways:

By telephone:

Contact the National Benefit Fraud Hotline on 0800 854 440. Your call is free and confidential you do not have to give your name or address. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8.00am to 6.00pm.

If you have speech or hearing problems you can use a text phone service on 0800 328 0512 or Welsh speakers can call on 0800 678 3722.

Online at:

Report benefit fraud on the gov.uk website.

By Post:

National Benefit Fraud Hotline

Mail Handling Site A

Wolverhampton

WV98 2BP