You should contact the Department for Works and Pensions (DWP) who will advise if you need to report the loss to the police.
Losing your benefit money can be very distressing. Here are some tips on how to keep your money safe:
- pay the money into your bank account, so that you won't have to carry around a lot of cash.
- when you receive your benefits, put the money in different places, so that if you do lose it, you won't have lost all of your money.
- do not walk down the street counting your money, as this may leave you vulnerable to theft/loss.
There are some unscrupulous people who spend all their benefit money and then claim to have lost it in order to get more money. This is a serious offence, and if you know someone who is committing Benefit Fraud, telephone the National Benefit Fraud Helpline on 0800 854 440 between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.
