Teacher in 'Kafkaesque' fight to clear name after identity fraud

A special needs teacher has spent almost a year trying to clear his name after a fraudulent universal credit claim was made using his identity, which has left him on the hook for hundreds of pounds in repayments.

- Hannah Al-Othman

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has refused to acknowledge the fraud.

Michael Bene, 51, who lives in Birmingham, said the situation had “just turned my life into hell on Earth” as he has been forced to spend dozens of hours trying to prove his innocence, while making repayments towards the £763 “advance” paid out on the claim made in his name.

Bene, who has never claimed universal credit, said he discovered the fraud in October 2024, when he spotted a deduction on his wage slip. The only benefit he has ever claimed, he said, was a few months of jobseekers' allowance more than 20 years ago.