"On receiving the letter, I called the child benefit line and explained the situation but was told I needed to complete the form and submit evidence, which included three months of bank statements from all my accounts, letters from the NHS and school to prove we returned when we didn't even leave. We instead sent a letter from the airline stating that we did not fly, together with letters detailing the insurance claim."
"Like thousands of others who have received these letters in the past four weeks, Sally said she could not believe that as a law-abiding, tax-paying citizen, she had been forced to prove a negative that she was not a fraudster simply because the Home Office did not have full records. It is very frustrating. Surely the cost of sorting out this mess is going to far exceed the amount of benefits they suspended, she said."
Sally, her three children and her partner were refused boarding for a planned holiday to Italy after one child had an epileptic seizure at the departure gate, and the family did not leave the UK. Sixteen months later HMRC informed Sally that child benefit payments for all three children were being stopped after records allegedly showed a one-way flight to Italy in 2024. HMRC demanded evidence including three months of bank statements, NHS and school letters, and a completed form; Sally instead provided an airline letter and insurance claim documents. About 23,500 people received similar letters as part of a child benefit fraud crackdown launched in August, creating administrative burdens and disputed suspensions.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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