Hi,
Just wondering if anyone has found themselves in a similar situation as I am in now and can offer their advice.
I received a letter from a debt collection agency looking to confirm my whereabouts as they only had my previous address but had tracked my new one.
I called and they said I owed over £1000 in Working Tax Credits paid in August 2009.
I have never applied for tax credits and TBH I didn't know what they were. I was told you can get them if your income is less than about £13k. In 2009 I was earning much more than that, so I don't know how I would have qualified for this in the first place.
I called HMRC and explained the situation and they asked me for past addresses, employment history and bank account numbers to cross-reference with the file they have on me. None of the details matched - although they were unable to tell me the addresses or bank details that were on the file.
So, it sounds as if my details have been used to claim Tax Credits and I have filled out a dispute form and a cover letter with a full explanation. I have also written a letter to the Tax Credit application office requesting a copy of the original application to see what has happened. I am waiting for those to be processed.
I called HMRC again to check some more details but the chap I spoke to told me not to waste my time with all the forms etc but said my dispute would be passed on. He couldn't tell me who it would be passed onto, a contact number for them, nor give me any assurances of when it would be dealt with and when I could expect to receive written confirmation that this matter has been dealt with. This response seemed strange to me, especially as he spoke to his supervisor before coming back to me with his answer.
So, I'm a little confused over what more I can actually do. Infuriatingly, HRMC won't give me any more information that they hold on me in my file even though they are happy to pass my details to a debt collection agency for them to track me down. I am curious to know exactly how this happened and also how HRMC could actually allow this to happen as surely a quick check of my PAYE details at the time would have shown there were discrepancies and that I was not entitled to Working Tax Credits.
Ultimately, I need assurances that I am not going to be contacted by the debt agency again (who I have informed of this dispute). I understand HMRC have tried to contact me (albeit my old address) but I am angry that they have passed my details to another organisation, yet can't disclose the information on my file to me...!
I suspect that a crime has been committed, so is there anything I can/should do? Should I report it to the police for example?
All advice welcome,
A
Just wondering if anyone has found themselves in a similar situation as I am in now and can offer their advice.
I received a letter from a debt collection agency looking to confirm my whereabouts as they only had my previous address but had tracked my new one.
I called and they said I owed over £1000 in Working Tax Credits paid in August 2009.
I have never applied for tax credits and TBH I didn't know what they were. I was told you can get them if your income is less than about £13k. In 2009 I was earning much more than that, so I don't know how I would have qualified for this in the first place.
I called HMRC and explained the situation and they asked me for past addresses, employment history and bank account numbers to cross-reference with the file they have on me. None of the details matched - although they were unable to tell me the addresses or bank details that were on the file.
So, it sounds as if my details have been used to claim Tax Credits and I have filled out a dispute form and a cover letter with a full explanation. I have also written a letter to the Tax Credit application office requesting a copy of the original application to see what has happened. I am waiting for those to be processed.
I called HMRC again to check some more details but the chap I spoke to told me not to waste my time with all the forms etc but said my dispute would be passed on. He couldn't tell me who it would be passed onto, a contact number for them, nor give me any assurances of when it would be dealt with and when I could expect to receive written confirmation that this matter has been dealt with. This response seemed strange to me, especially as he spoke to his supervisor before coming back to me with his answer.
So, I'm a little confused over what more I can actually do. Infuriatingly, HRMC won't give me any more information that they hold on me in my file even though they are happy to pass my details to a debt collection agency for them to track me down. I am curious to know exactly how this happened and also how HRMC could actually allow this to happen as surely a quick check of my PAYE details at the time would have shown there were discrepancies and that I was not entitled to Working Tax Credits.
Ultimately, I need assurances that I am not going to be contacted by the debt agency again (who I have informed of this dispute). I understand HMRC have tried to contact me (albeit my old address) but I am angry that they have passed my details to another organisation, yet can't disclose the information on my file to me...!
I suspect that a crime has been committed, so is there anything I can/should do? Should I report it to the police for example?
All advice welcome,
A