I was told to repay mystery £1,250 Universal Credit bill after crooks made false claim in my name

WAKING up in the middle of night worrying, Martin Cardon has no idea how he was going to pay a mystery bill for £1,250 from the Department of Work and Pensions.

A letter had landed on his doormat in January - but there was no explanation of why he owed the money.

Martin, 54, from Surrey, has been claiming Universal Credit on and off while working as a self-employed gardener.

His most recent Universal Credit claim was made in April 2020, when like millions of other Brits he was unable to work during the pandemic.

He came off the benefit in November last year, after securing work at a nearby supermarket over the busy Christmas period.

When the letter arrived Martin tried to phone the DWP to check why he owed the cash - but he was unable to get an explanation.

The letter he received threatened to either contact his employer to arrange for the money to be taken from his earnings, or contact a debt collection agency to get the money if he didn’t respond within three days.

“I was really angry no one would explain why I owed all this money,” he said.

“I couldn’t talk to anyone, couldn’t get to the bottom of what was going on, and felt like no one could help me.

“I get nightmares when I’m stressed, and I had a nightmare for the first time in months, because I was so worried about paying it.”

It wasn't until he called The Sun's Squeeze Team to help that he got an answer.

The DWP confirmed to The Sun that following a review of his case, a fraudulent claim in Martin’s name had been made - and he doesn't owe a penny of the £1,250 debt.

“Without the help of the Squeeze Team, we would still be stressing over what to do, and we would probably have paid it because we wouldn’t want to go to court,” Martin said.

“I thought I could fly when I was told I didn’t have to pay.”

A DWP spokesperson said: “Fraud and error in the benefits system remains low, with 95% of benefits paid correctly, but we are working tirelessly to uncover fraudulent claims and drive fraud and error down, including through a £0.5bn investment to boost capability and capacity.

“We have spoken to Mr Cardon to notify him that no action is needed following this letter as a review indicated he was not involved in making the Universal Credit claim. 

“Anyone receiving a debt recovery letter they believe relates to a fraudulent claim should contact us on 0800 916 0647.”

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