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DWP Sets January 2026 Campaign to Cut Universal Credit Fraud in Three High-Loss Areas

The drive seeks to improve claimant reporting after the DWP estimated £9.5 billion in overpayments for 2024/25.

Overview

  • Minister Andrew Western confirmed in a written reply that the campaign starts at the end of January 2026.
  • The effort targets the highest-loss issues: living together, self-employment, and capital and savings.
  • Messaging will run across on-demand video, out-of-home, digital display, paid search, and paid social.
  • Goals include increasing awareness of consequences for not reporting changes and clarifying which changes must be disclosed.
  • The push follows a DWP estimate of £9.5bn in 2024/25 overpayments (3.3% of spend), as Parliament examines proposals to expand investigators' bank-account access that remain under consideration.