Help with Atos illegal tactics

After receiving the new ESA50 03/11 (exactly a year to day when the first application was made for my mother), which was filled and returned to the DWP, the Atos followed up by calling a phone shared by my younger brother and mother when ever she goes out in case she gets a fit or faints. Atos wanted to speak with my mum who has no linguistic, among other inabilities, to speak with them.

Now the number they rang was not given to them in any communication precisely because my mother couldn’t speak with them. I find this development both illegal and worrying, can anyone help?

How have they found this number? Is there foul play here and has anyone experienced a similar scenario? How do you think I should proceed as they sent a face to face assessment date when they couldn’t get through to my mother?

Your advice is much appreciated as this event has been rather worrying.

Thank you!

Earnest wrote:

After receiving the new ESA50 03/11 (exactly a year to day when the first application was made for my mother), which was filled and returned to the DWP, the Atos followed up by calling a phone shared by my younger brother and mother when ever she goes out in case she gets a fit or faints. Atos wanted to speak with my mum who has no linguistic, among other inabilities, to speak with them.

Now the number they rang was not given to them in any communication precisely because my mother couldn’t speak with them. I find this development both illegal and worrying, can anyone help?

How have they found this number? Is there foul play here and has anyone experienced a similar scenario? How do you think I should proceed as they sent a face to face assessment date when they couldn’t get through to my mother?

Your advice is much appreciated as this event has been rather worrying.

Thank you!

Hi,

What you need to find out is how the number was obtained as it could have been obtained quite legally. Even if they are requested not to ring a claimant, the DWP can still ring to for example obtain further evidence, or in trying to detect fraud.

When one signs DWP a claim form, in the small print it does give the DWP and its agencies such as Atos the right to receive and share information with other agencies in determining a claim and for example detecting fraud. It could be that these other agencies may have sent documents containing the phone number.

Also, is the number ex-directory (of the sort where it is not in the phone book AND not available via the internet directory enquiries and to callers to Directory Enquiries?)

I have known of circumstances where the DWP have requested hospital notes and within those notes is the claimants phone number, so that is just an example of how the number could be obtained.

If the claimant submits a subject access request for all the information held about the claimant that might give you a clue as to who supplied the number. However there maybe nothing illegal in them doing so nor the DWP using it.

Pete

Hello Pete, Thanks for your comments.

No its just a mobile number, not any records as she can't really speak, they called from a landline. We are all bonafide but just the worryng doesn't help the the stress levels.

Thanks again.

It's either that or those credit checkers again. I'm not sure how much info is available in a credit check, but I know they can see what mobile package a persons subscribed too and maybe a number too?

Quite why they're paranoid enough to not ring her landline, but seek out a mobile that wasn't even listed instead is anybodys guesss.

Is credit checking actually going on? I was under the impression that (assuming it starts at all) it wasn't going to begin till later in the year and then would only apply to new claimants.

BB

It's penciled in for September this year (I notice the governments so called consultation period over this matter was never heard of again and so I'm sure many people don't even realise that It's been given the go ahead.) but going by some posters comments on here who've been receiving various odd queries from the DWP It does lead me to believe they've been using credit checking before now. Perhaps when peoples benefits are up for renewal?

I mean local council HB depts have been doing it for some time now.