THE DWP has used a Valentine's day message to warn claimants about benefit fraud.

It warned people not to “ruin Valentine’s Day” by failing to declare their living arrangements.

It ordered people “tell us of a change now.

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The tweet from the DWP press office account shows love hearts and a red balloon in an attempt at creating a romantic image.

But the roses came with a sharp thorn.

It then fires out a warning shot about not hiding anything from the benefits office.

The tweet said:

"Claiming to be living alone is one of the most common types of benefit fraud – don’t ruin #ValentinesDay by failing to declare your true circumstances."

Twitter users accused the DWP of “lacking compassion” and creating a “toxic environment” against benefits claimants.

More than one thousand people posted replies criticising the message.

One asked if it was April Fools' Day instead of Valentine's.

Others criticised the DWP for hounding people and said the government should spent more efforts cracking down on tax evasion.