Single mum describes invasion of privacy after DWP bank account check

07/11/2024 | Big Issue

In an interview with Big Brother, a single mother describes her distress after a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) officer examined her bank account statements during a routine review of her universal credit. Every transaction from the previous three months, including expenses for her daughter's birthday, was scrutinised, leaving her feeling "mortified" and "penalised." Although the review was not due to any suspicion of fraud, Berman felt pressured to share her financial details under the threat of payment cessation. Berman is concerned that increased DWP surveillance on bank accounts will lead others into similar situations. The Labour government's proposed Fraud, Error and Debt Bill (FED Bill) aims to tighten controls within the benefits system, potentially allowing the DWP direct access to individuals' financial information under specific fraud or error suspicion circumstances.

Read Full Story
Department for Work and Pensions, DWP

What is this page?

You are reading a summary article on the Privacy Newsfeed, a free resource for DPOs and other professionals with privacy or data protection responsibilities helping them stay informed of industry news all in one place. The information here is a brief snippet relating to a single piece of original content or several articles about a common topic or thread. The main contributor is listed in the top left-hand corner, just beneath the article title.

The Privacy Newsfeed monitors over 300 global publications, of which more than 5,750 summary articles have been posted to the online archive dating back to the beginning of 2020. A weekly roundup is available by email every Friday.

Freevacy has been shortlisted in the Best Educator category.
The PICCASO Privacy Awards recognise the people making an outstanding contribution to this dynamic and fast-growing sector.