‘Kafkaesque’: teacher in Birmingham fights to clear his name after identity fraud

<p>Michael Bene is repaying £763 ‘advance’ despite evidence he did not attend face-to-face verification interview</p><p>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.</p><p>The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has refused to acknowledge the fraud, even though Michael Bene has supplied evidence he was in the Scottish Highlands when the claimant attended a face-to-face verification interview in Cheshire.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/sep/22/turned-my-life-into-hell-teacher-fights-to-clear-his-name-after-identity">Continue reading...</a>