Sarah says the letters have caused ‘immense’ stress for her as she cares for her autistic son.
A mum who cares for her autistic son was left in tears after being sent repeated letters from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) demanding she pay a £5,000 debt she didn’t owe for five years.
Sarah McKenzie, who cares for her son Adam, 23, says being the long-running victim of mistaken identity is beginning to affect her mental health after realising another woman, with the same name, was supposed to be the recipient of the letters.
“Our national insurance numbers are the only difference; it’s a case of mistaken identity,” Sarah explained, adding that she had been assured by the DWP she was not being pursued for the money, but continued to receive the debt letters.
“For five years, I’ve been getting these letters demanding money. It has this other woman’s national insurance number on the letters. Every time I call the DWP to complain, they confirm I don’t owe anything, and I ask them to stop the letters.”
A spokesperson for the DWP has confirmed Ms McKenzie, from Liverpool, will no longer receive the letters, which demand £5,444.19, after the department corrected its records.
Speaking with the Echo, Sarah explained how she had a brief respite from the letters until she moved address and they began to be delivered one more, around three years ago.
“It’s bringing immense stress,” she described, adding, “I have a disabled son with autism who is really poorly at the moment; he is in the hospital awaiting surgery, and this added stress is not something I need right now.
“When I got the first letter, I was suicidal. I looked at the amount it said I owed on the letter, and I thought ‘What the hell? How am I going to pay this?’ I’m a single mum on benefits, I don’t have that kind of money, I was crying.
“I couldn’t cope with that kind of stress. I phoned up to query it, and that’s when they first told me the letters were meant for the other woman. The amount they demanded was so scary.”
A DWP spokesperson said: “We have now corrected Ms McKenzie’s records, and she will no longer receive these letters. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.”
