Dodgy “welfare rights advisor” be warned

Hello! I hope you are well and hunkered down somewhere cosy.

I recently felt backed into a corner because I could not find anyone to help with an appeal with the DWP. The appeal did not go ahead in the end and everything is OK now. BUT I made the horrible mistake of employing what I thought was a bone fide “welfare rights advisor”. This person took about £600 and did not do anything at all. They were very, very poor at communicating and just laughed all the way to the bank with my money and no doubt I am not alone. It was only sheer desperation on my part because there were no free advice services available at all where I live.

The other bad side of it is that I have not received any correspondence at all from the DWP for several months, nothing. I only know I that the DWP withdrew from the appeal process because I got money from the DWP into my bank last month that I would not have received otherwise. I rang the DWP a couple of weeks ago and the lady said that they had sent several letters to me in the past three months and she said they would be reissuing them, but those never arrived either. Finally, today, I rang AGAIN and this time they said all letters to me had been sent to my “representative”. This must mean the so-called “welfare rights advisor”. This person has never once let me know that he has been getting all my letters. I asked the DWP to scrub this man’s name from my records and I explained he was just a con-artist who took me for a few hundred quid.

I remain worried about this, will this man scam me further in some way now that he has all my. DWP letters? I will now get start getting my letters off the DWP! I hope none of you will ever make this terrible mistake.

Be sensible, don’t get conned.

All the best,
Porridge x

The correct kind of welfare rights paid advisor is one who works on a 'no win, no fee' basis.
Ie you do not part with a penny - Unless and Until - they have won your case, and to your satisfaction.
Then, and only then, do you owe them the agreed share of your back payment, once DWP have paid it to you and only then. So you will never be actually out of pocket, only part with an agreed share once you've got the money, and keep the lion's share of the backpay, and all the future monthly payments awarded are completely yours.

why would you pay 600 pounds for a welfare rights officer, your local council money service will give you one for free

Sadly not all councils have them...