HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) take fraud very seriously and as part of their ongoing compliance work have identified and stopped attempts to defraud the tax credit system by making claims through the tax credits e-portal. In the light of this, HMRC has closed the e-portal while it develops new checks to ensure that the system remains secure.
A criminal investigation is also being undertaken into the apparent false use of a number of DWP staff identities in fraudulent tax credit claims. The fraud relates to internal information held about staff and not the external records DWP holds.
DWP and HMRC are carrying out an in-depth investigation into how this happened. They are also working quickly to identify the records concerned and to ensure they are corrected. They will ensure that no staff are disadvantaged as a result of it.
HMRC is setting up a dedicated helpline for any DWP staff who think they may have been affected.
