Have you ever reported someone for benefit fraud?

This is why you should never tell anyone your personal financial circumstances...

As far as I'm aware , the benefits are not stopped during investigation. Both times I was investigated my payments continued as normal and was told nothing would be stopped unless evidence was found and even then had to be proven guilty.

Never ever in a million years. I would hate to be the cause of a family torn apart. The biggest fiddlers are the super rich, they get away with it and for some weird reason it doesn't seem to be frowned on the same.

I'd never do it. The amount of fraudulently claimed benefits is far exceeded both by unclaimed benefits and the cost of investigating them. The benefit system is so draconian now I wish anyone who succeeds in defrauding it lots of luck.

I would report. I don't care how difficult their situation is - if they are not entitled to the money legally then that's the end of the discussion. Don't care if their mum/gran/brother is ill, if they're depressed or just need a bit of time off or whatever. Their circumstances don't make a bit of difference- if it's an illegal claim, then it's an illegal claim and I would report it

Absolutely agree. I never understand his mentality about benefit fraud on MN and the defence of “you don’t know their circumstances” “they might struggle if they lose their benefits” or “its not millions of pounds”. Well tough shit they should live within their means instead of defrauding the state. What about all the honest people that struggle on their low income but manage because they HAVE to. It’s a crime at the end of the day and if you become aware of it you should report it.

I will say though, I wouldn’t report if I wasn’t 1000000% sure of all the facts.

I admit I have reported someone before. She was claiming to be a single parent, whilst living with her partner who earned a very good wage. Now this wasn’t one of those “only stays over a few times a week” boyfriends, this was a 7 year relationship, they have a child together and they had been doing it since the beginning of their relationship. She’s never worked and still has no desire to now even though her DS is in nursery and has been since he was 2. Which I believe shows it’s not impacted them that much financially because surely you’d get a job if you needed to make up any shortfall due to losing the income. She got given a choice when she was interviewed to either admit it and she would have to make a new claim with her boyfriend or if she denied it, they would throw he book at her, since they had so much evidence against her. She admitted it and that was the end of it, didn’t have to pay a penny back which I think is ridiculous, think how much that would be, 7 years worth of over payments. We no longer speak for unrelated reasons but she still doesn’t know who reported her, she actually believed it to be her ex (father of her other DS) and thought he’d done it out of spite because she tried to claim CM from him. I don’t see it as cowardly not forewarning her or admitting it after the fact, I’m not the one whose done anything wrong.

I do think it's hard regarding having a partner living with you.

I mentioned my dh's ex further down the thread who is currently a benefit fraud and has been since I met dh.

However she constantly threatened to contact DWP regarding me and dh because dh started staying a couple of nights a week.

However dh told her to go ahead and do it because he wasn't financially contributing to my household. Which I could prove and so could he.

But I always started to feel we were doing something wrong. There was no money going into my bank from him. He wasn't paying any bills etc. But he did start to stay a few nights a week.

I bet there are a lot in this situation. Where you have a partner and you are thinking about moving in however you want to test it out first. Which is the sensible thing to do.

However there will be a jealous ex somewhere threatening you with fraud etc when you are not doing anything wrong.

I ended up calling tax credits myself to tell them I did have a partner and he did stay over anything between 2-4 nights per week and that he was not contributing to me financially which I could prove. They were absolutely fine about that and I asked them to put a note on my records to say that I had informed them.

I say it's always best to cover your back if you think someone may try and get you in trouble and you are innocent.

I bet there are very few middle class people grassing up their mates for tax evasion

I wouldn't know, but perhaps any who avoid "grassing up" middle class mates believe they're also struggling with things in their life which make it excusable?

It may not be excusable at all, but it's not made less so just because of the class they belong to - unless the alleged "spite" in reporting somehow stops applying because of perceived advantage

Otherwise known as moral relativism, I believe ...

No - because I'm not a nasty piece of pondlife who gets pleasure from the misery of others.

I used to say to people when they started to talk about how they got around the system - that I was quite happy to ring the fraud office if they went any further. Surprising how many shut up.

Yes, and I do not regret it either.

Sorry that should say not paying tax.

3rdrock - Yes me too , I work in benefits advice work and see it every day - people trying to hide large sums of money/ inheritance/ extra houses, people not declaring tax ' because they didn't realise they had to ' , people trying to pretend they don't have a working partner living with them. All to maximise the benefits they can claim. Disgusting when there are so many genuine claimants struggling to survive and navigate the system and are in genuine need..

I’m a welfare rights officer in and work for a local authority. There are no circumstances under which I would report someone. However, if I knew they were incorrectly claiming benefits I would not assist them to do so.

Yes because I do not work and pay my taxes for someone to take the mick. And before anyone gets on their high horse I have worked in welfare to work for 3 years and did not loose a wink of sleep doing it

I did. Woman was claiming as a single parent but had a partner and was working cash in hand. Drove a brand new car, holidays abroad, taking the piss. I wouldn't have reported her, but she harassed me, accusing me of sleeping with her stepdad. It was so bad I had to get the police involved. Unfortunately for her I had a contact who could do some digging, and I felt no compunction at all in reporting her. She picked the wrong person to mess with - her benefits were immediately stopped.

It always amazes me how much people know about other people's financial affairs and have access to every detail on others bank accounts what people have claimed for and what they haven't and all sorts of personal information seems to be acquired by those who wish to share it on the internet

I had a friend, many years ago who was a single parent. She declared her part time earnings from bar work but worked a few extra hours that she didn't declare...it was hardly anything and had she declared it she would have had the same amount deducted from her benefit, so working for nothing. If she hadn't agreed to the extra hours, she would have lost her job.
Someone reported her and she had her benefits stopped for weeks and was interviewed and made to feel like a career criminal!
The system punishes those most in need.
I couldn't report anyone unless they were blatantly living the life of Riley and flashing the cash!

I know various benefit cheats. I reported one many years ago who had 4 kids by 4 different dads. Her current partner was the dad of her youngest son who was eight years old, he had always lived with her since that child was born but she claimed as single and he ' officially' lived with his mum round the corner. and earning a good wage. If she had been genuinely struggling I might not have done it but she was getting CM from all 3 of the other dads. Not sure of what the outcome was but they now are married and are living legitimately.

It's tricky. In principle I would. A few years ago we had a neighbor who was fiddling the system and bragged about it - declared herself as single, had a man living there. If mam had reported it says neighbor might turn on her, she had a reputation for being violent. One lovely old man nearby reported his neighbor too - the campaign of harassment at him by the woman and her friends was awful! I think a lot of people would report but are too scared to.

In principle though yes I would report provided I absolutely knew (eg bragging). Why should people pay info the system for others to abuse it? Those fiddling the system make it harder for genuine people to be believed. In practice I wouldn't risk myself ory familys safety.

It's mad on MN the amount of people who get all moral about NOT reporting/vilifying those who do. Madness! Yes OK Starbucks etc evading tax is wrong but fraud is wrong whatever form it takes. Saying 'it's only a few quid, leave it be' kind of misses the point! I find it hard to believe people think Like that. In rl - my friends, family, workmates - no one thinks Like that

PostivelyPerf: Brave New World is by Aldous Huxley, not George Orwell! I think you have it confused with 1984.

I really have wanted to with a neighbour because I knew she was lying about a boyfriend living there. In the end I didn’t because her and the kids all had a shit enough life as it was. All her own doing I believe - and turns out she got found out anyway, owed £7k in unpaid rent to our landlord and was eventually evicted straight into a much nicer council property nearby. It made me annoyed because she had multiple live in boyfriends none of whom ever seemed to have a job and they all lived in complete squalor - yet she had lots of huge colourful tattoos all over her (can’t be cheap). I kind of just felt so sorry for her kids with her parenting choices I didn’t want to make it worse

If they aren't doing anything wrong then nothing will happen. Innocent people don't panic
Monies are stopped whilst investigations are ongoing. That means innocent people panic because they have fuck all money coming in.

Not a strawman Summer if there is a requirement to save money then surely it'd make economic sense to gather the greatest amount to ease the problem?
It isn't about saving money though. Or morals.

" You are a dick "

ooh that's a good one! I don't think we should spend our time looking round the neighbourhood deciding who might be getting a bit too much, and " reporting " them.

Love, if you think that is normal or reasonable behaviour, I am certainly not the 'dick' here.

Policing benefit policy voluntarily while the wealthy merrily decimate as much social/national assets as they fancy?

Welcome to the usual straw man. Next someone’s going to bring up Starbucks/Vodafone/Amazon...

So, what if the fraudulent claimant is also very wealthy and also evading tax?

Sounds a bit like Schrodinger’s fraudster...