A single mother of two daughters living at home, and an older son who lives away recently responded to an advert on Facebook which suggested if she was on benefits she could get a loan of £1200. Existing on just her ESA, (she has applied for PIP and has been refused that, which she is currently in the process of appealing), she answered the ad. She had to give her details for them to facilitate the loan, which they said they’d done. They contacted her again to check she had received the money, and used her details to access her bank account and without her knowledge debit the amount of £1200 from her bank account immediately. Seeing the money was missing she contacted the Police and the DWP only to discover that a fraudulent Universal Credit claim had been made in her name and an advance payment of £1200 had been applied for in her name. By making this claim, the fraudsters had caused her existing claim to be closed, thereby her losing access to her legacy benefits. The bank has refunded half of what was taken from her account, but the DWP are refusing to put her back on the benefit she was claiming, ESA, and not only that, are now insisting that she repays £100 a month back to cover the £1200 loan. Also she is going to have to wait sometime before she actually receives a Universal Credit payment, leaving her without money to buy food for her and her children. Our agents are assisting her with getting this mess sorted out, but it does look like now she will have to remain on Universal Credit. We agreed to send her £100 to help her last out until her next benefit payment.