Fraud and Error Prevention Service

You may be contacted by a Fraud and Error Prevention Service (FEPS) centre to review your benefits claim - this is called a claim review. 

FEPS centres were previously called Benefit Integrity Centres. 

A FEPS centre may contact you if you’re claiming:

  • Employment and Support Allowance 
  • Incapacity Benefit 
  • Income Support 
  • Jobseeker’s Allowance 
  • Pension Credit 

What they’ll ask for 

The FEPS centre will ask for information similar to that you gave when claiming benefit, e.g. information on income and savings. 

You may also be asked security questions such as:

  • the date you sign on
  • other benefits you get
  • the name of the bank your benefit is paid into

The centre will tell you when and how you need to give the information. 

If you don’t tell them in time, your benefit payments may be stopped. 

Check a letter, phone call or text is genuine 

Letters and forms 

Any letters and forms will have the Jobcentre Plus or Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) logo. 

Contact Jobcentre Plus (external link) if you’re claiming: 

  • Employment Support Allowance (ESA)
  • Incapacity Benefit
  • Income Support
  • Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)

They’ll be able to tell you if a FEPS centre is checking your claim. 

Contact your Pension Centre (external link) if you’re claiming Pension Credit. They’ll be able to tell you if a FEPS centre is checking your claim. 

Phone calls 

When a FEPS centre phones you, you’ll be asked some security questions to check your identity. 

You may be asked for the name of your bank to check your identity, but you’ll never be asked for your bank account number or sort code. 

Text messages 

The FEPS centre sends text messages as reminders to:

  • return forms
  • tell them about changes in your circumstances

Text messages from a centre will show the phone number as “Jobcentre Plus” or “Jobcentre +”.

The message will be for information only - you’ll never be asked to reply by text message.

Appeal a FEPS centre decision

You have the right to appeal if you disagree with a decision made by a FEPS centre. You’ll be told how to appeal in the letter the centre sends you.