DWP trial of bank account monitoring finds 63,000 benefit claimants breaking rules
manchestereveningnews.co.ukA recent trial by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has revealed that tens of thousands of benefit claimants may be breaking the rules.
The DWP asked two high street banks to monitor the bank accounts of individuals receiving Universal Credit, Pension Credit, or ESA (Employment and Support Allowance).
One of the banks, which remains unnamed, identified 713,000 accounts held by individuals claiming the benefits. Over a three-month period, it found that 60,000 of these accounts had balances exceeding the limit for entitlement to benefits.
In addition, 'abroad fraud' was detected in another 3,000 accounts. This is where the account holder either lives overseas while claiming UK benefits or takes holidays longer than permitted under DWP travel rules.
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