Compliance Phone Call - Advice Required Please

MrsConfused

New here and hoping someone might be able to help me.

My husband gets enhanced mobility and care PIP, I get standard rate mobility and care and also claim carers allowance for looking after him.

I recently submitted a change of circumstances for my PIP so when I received a phone call from DWP yesterday I presumed it was in connection with that.

However that was not the case and once the chap started talking it transpires that someone has maliciously reported me by saying as we went on holiday in 2019 and walked a bit and because we have 2 young dogs who we take out every day I was fiddling the system.

obviously I was horrified. Yes we have dogs (he said they weren’t mentioned on original application but that’s because (1) the question isn’t asked on the claim form and (2) we didn’t have them then, they joined us during lockdown.

I explained that exercising them consists of putting them in the car, driving a short distance, letting them out, chucking the ball with the ball thrower a few times, putting them back in the car and returning home.  He then asked about the car and whether it was a mobility car (it’s not) and I advised as per my PIP application I advised we had bought the car as we needed a car with higher seats as neither of us could get in a lower car.  He then asked if we owned our own home and did we have a mortgage (we don’t but if he thinks i cleared our mortgage from £500 a month carers and pip allowances he’s obviously deluded.

He asked how I can care for my husband if I’m claiming PIP and that I wouldn’t be able to claim it if he was lower rate mobility, which is a complete load of rubbish as carers allowance is given for the care element and not mobility.  He was quite obviously pretty clueless.

He then asked if had we walked whilst on our holiday and I said yes but we walked a little rested a lot, then walked a little more etc. He said you should only get higher rate PIP if you can’t walk, which again is incorrect, yes distance comes into it but so do levels of pain etc.  I explained about assistance at airport etc.

at the end he said please make sure you advise DWP of any changes of circumstances in the future (which I have obviously already done) and that I might get another phone call.  And that, as they say, was that.

reading up on this it seems I should have received a letter before this telephone interrogation, but I have not received anything apart from this out of the blue phone call.

I am pretty sure I know who contacted them, he said it was via the internet in x month this year...I had a falling out with someone in a Facebook group I run because I mentioned to another friend that she might be able to get her Covid jab a little earlier as she was a carer and we had a brief conversation where I mentioned I received carers allowance.  This other person, who thought all teachers and shop workers should get their jab before any unpaid carer I think picked up on this conversation and reported me.  Nasty vindictive woman who I must admit I removed from said Facebook group just after this incident.

My obvious worry now is that I’m going to have people outside my house doing survelliance or I might get arrested even though I have done nothing wrong.  There is nothing in the rules and regulations of either PIP or carers allowance which says you can’t go on holiday or have a dog or cat.

is this the sort of thing the DWP will take further as I’m worrying myself sick.

sorry for the lengthy post.