Never felt so low

Hi Mags, So sorry to hear of all your troubles. It never rains, but it pours heh! Well, don't build mountains when it could just be a mole hill. Obviously they will figure out that you are not some kind of willful criminal. As you say, you have no past record of any offence, not even a traffic ticket. You must stand up for yourself and explain matters to them. They are, after all, people with some understanding, not just machines with a function. Explain yourself clearly to them and don't hesitate to defend your situation. Do you have any friends or know anyone that is familiar with the law? Do you have a lawyer acquaintance? Or does someone in your family know a lawyer or someone who works in a law office? Know your rights and do your research. Don't despair. I am certain that things will not be as bad as you think. I know of others who were accidentally overpaid at their work until it was discovered. This was unbeknownst to them. They were honest people with no past offencess, and things were finally set straight and it was eventually docked from their subsequent pays. So I am sure you can work something out with them and they will understand that you did not deliberately deceive them. But please talk this out with someone you trust. Get some input from people you know and don't hesitate to speak up and defend yourself. Don't stress about it, just take steps to clear matters up Mags. Worry will do you no good and it will just make you more unwell. Things are never as dark as we imagine them to be. You will be able to sort this out. One step at a time. Have faith. 

Omg that's terrible for you, even a telephone call can put me over the edge, just relax, you didn't do this knowingly, in my opinion that's not fraud. You will be fine, just admit what you had and they are easier to work with you, if you deny anything that's when they start being nasty, I'm so sorry your going through all this, but you are strong, you've proved this, so just keep remembering that you did not do this on purpose, similar thing happened to my sister recently and because she admitted the pension she was getting they told her to pay it back at 5 pounds a week. Good luck

So sorry to hear this Mags, you must be feeling so anxious about everything, but try not to worry. Worry is a useless emotion as however much you worry, it won't change anything, it just wears you down. Wise words from magpie, and gentle hugs from me. Be strong. xxx