Council Tax Fraud Solicitors in London
Updated on Monday 28th October 2019
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Council tax fraud is also known as benefit fraud where taxpayers can falsely claim exemptions or discounts, or “forget” to announce the authorities if something changed from a taxation point of view. This kind of fraud leads to serious consequences and offenders found guilty can face imprisonment and also pay the penalties involved. We recommend you talk to our council tax fraud solicitors in London and ask for legal advice and support.
Council tax fraud – What do you need to know?
Financial frauds take many forms and unfortunately some people believe they can gain easy money by fouling the authorities one way or another. This is how council tax fraud appeared and unfortunately, it might be discovered quite late, sometimes after many years. Here are a few facts about council tax fraud and the forms it takes, mentioning that you can ask for legal advice from our criminal defence solicitors in London if such accusations have been brought to you:
- Falsely claiming financial support under the Council Tax Reduction scheme by failing to disclose personal earnings.
- Claiming tax exemptions for a property even though a person lives there.
- Asking for student exemption or deduction by using false information.
- Failing to notify the authorities when the status of a taxpayer changed.
Tax frauds are treated extremely serious by the authorities in UK, and numerous investigations in this field take place on a daily basis. If you have been accused of this type of fraud, it is best to talk to one of our council tax fraud solicitors in London and receive immediate legal advice. They can handle your case, as our criminal lawyers in London have experience in this field.
What can you do when discovering council tax fraud?
Persons who believe they discovered a potential council tax fraud should take measures and report the case to the authorities. It is extremely important to understand the gravity and the consequences of this kind of fraud and to respond in a fast manner. After all, this kind of crime affects real people who pay the taxes and who believe in equality and trustworthiness. It is good to have the support of a council tax fraud solicitor in London and ask for legal advice if you want to report a fraud case.
What is housing benefit fraud?
Another type of benefit fraud in UK is the one related to disability and housing benefits, job seekers allowance or income support claimed in a false manner. Fraudsters can ask for all sorts of state benefits by using false documents, and unfortunately, in some cases, it takes time until the fraud is discovered. Penalties in these situations can lead to imprisonment and/or paying back the money. You should talk to a council tax fraud solicitor in London and ask for immediate legal advice if you have been accused of financial fraud.
How can we protect against fraud?
In the case of council tax fraud, those who indirectly suffer are honest people who pay the taxes in UK, in time. Another “victim” of the council tax fraud is definitely the state, and unfortunately, losses of approximately GBP 133 million are registered each year. The first thing to do is to report a fraud case by getting in touch with the entitled authorities. The protection against fraud may vary, but on the internet, for example, individuals should be more careful when receiving different kinds of offers or benefits. In most cases, these are frauds meant to access personal data and finances. On the other hand, those accused of fraud in UK should seek legal advice from a criminal solicitor in London who can explain the rights and who can prepare the defence and the entire case. Below we have gathered facts, statistics and data about fraud in UK, provided by UK Finance:
- more than GBP 1.2 billion have been stolen by fraudsters through varied methods, last year;
- more than 231 arrests took place in 2018 as the updated Banking Protocol in touch with the UK police was extremely helpful;
- losses of approximately GBP 845 million came from unauthorized payment cards, false cheques and remote banking frauds (2018);
- around 85,000 authorized push payment scams have been registered in 2018, with total loses of around GBP 355 million;
- most of the fraud loses registered in UK in the past year were directly connected to identity theft, a worrying phenomenon;
- telemarketing fraud had a huge negative impact in the past years, as many persons fall for the scams made over the phone.
If you need advice from one of our council tax fraud solicitors in London, do not hesitate to contact us right away. Feel free to talk to our experienced team of criminal defence solicitors in London.