Should I report benefit fraud?

Absolutely report them. A family member used to be a benefit fraud investigator who saved the taxpayer millions. He found it very satisfying work.

It always absolutely fascinates me how people are so open telling everybody about their financial affairs when they are supposedly committing fraud. I read it all the time on here about how the neighbour brags they are getting benefits they’re not entitled to, or the mum at the school gates.

It doesn’t ring quite true, really.

It's called whataboutism.

Standard misdirection tactic to divert attention from the real issue onto something else.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism

An example might be, I go into the street and kill someone.

Someone else says, you shouldn't kill someone, it's bad.

I say in response, well what about Hitler, he killed 30 million people ?

I have noticed this and don't understand it. They are literally stealing from us, and many hardworking people probably less fortunate than them! Total scum.

@Everanewbie I loathe Starbucks and the current government but I also have no time for comfortably off people totally playing the system. Look at it this way- one single working mum on here , struggling but just about coping may well be seeing all her monthly tax take go to a couple of chancers like this . If we were all making direct payments to others in that way I think folks would soon get very pissed off and start reporting . And I'm not with this 'well they are a couple for all intents and purposes and yes he's the kids dad' but we register him somewhere else so we can get a nice bit of xtra- that way lies madness. If someone is staying over multiple nights a week and not just popping in and particularly if they have children or have previously been claiming as a couple - then it needs investigating- you are either fully separated and have a separate home or you aren't.

Yes, but shop lifting is also a drop in the ocean compared to the Hatton Garden heist, but its the principle we prosecute, not just the value. If we let this criminality slide then we are letting down those legitimate claimants who deserve more, and the hard working people keeping their social contract of paying a fair chunk of their wages in the understanding it helps people who need it.

It frustrates me how people who claim to be on the side of the people who need benefits to survive seem the happiest to let fraudulent claims go because of 'tories' or 'Starbucks'. No one would be happy that the charity box was stolen by Mr Bloggs and he bought a new tv with it because, well, Madoff and Stanford stole more.

Yes this is really weird.

This isn't true - I've been reported and it was anonymous.

It’s jarring but it’s endemic. Keep your nose out. No good can come of reporting this

No of course it shouldn’t but what I’ve stated is correct. Benefit fraud is a drop in the ocean compared to what these corporations are able to get away with.

I really dislike this point. Yes, I agree that the big corporations should be paying tax at a fair rate. But that stance shouldn't give private citizens carte blanche to commit fraud.

How did you know it’s a drop in the ocean? Clearly most people don’t report and many are at it themselves, based on this thread.

Why don’t you report the giant corporations who don’t pay tax. Amazon is one but I’ll bet you use their services. This country isn’t on its knees because of people on benefits (not much of a lifestyle is it); it’s on its knees because of greedy Tories making sure there’s money for them and their mates and because of ludicrous tax loopholes. Wanting to report someone for alleged benefit fraud always smacks of deep unhappiness and jealousy to me. Mind your own business and if you’re not happy, change it

The DWP budget doesn't work like that. If someone is entitled to a benefit, and they apply, they get it, and if the budget is overspent, so be it.

I'm fully expecting the PIP budget to be overspent in a year or two, because the number of applications doubled in 22/23 compared to previous years.

Do you like this friend? If you do, and want to stay friends but can't separate this behavior, I'd drop it into conversation in a subtle way next time she boasts of her fraud. Maybe "I'd feel really uncomfortable doing that knowing that I don't really deserve it" Maybe you'll milk just enough about her attitude to help you decide whether this is a friendship you want to keep.

A lot of people are telling you to report this, and are rightly calling it fraud and stealing. In the real world there its not quite as cut and dry as to just report. People are ostracised for being a 'grass' and as some people have mentioned, you might not be 100% certain that there isn't some circumstance you don't know about.

You can stay with your partner/have them stay over every single night and still not be committing fraud.

If the partner has his own address, and that is where his clothes etc are kept, where his car is registered and insured, is used for his bank, HMRC, his employer etc, any decision by DWP to stop her benefits would be challengeable.

If they eat all their meals together, that would reduce her chances of succeeding at any appeal, but that's not a given.

I've won 2 alleged cohabitation appeals for clients, and my colleagues have won another 3 in the last few years. The question of number of nights spent together has never even been asked. In every one, the tribunal seemed to attach more weight to where "stuff" was kept than anything else. They also seemed to accept that the children's father stayed over regularly to help with childcare and to maintain a relationship with his children.

I've also seen first hand the utter misery that has been caused when benefits are suspended for months (it can take a year) and someone has sod all to live on, which is why I'm never in favour of reporting.

It's also worth bearing in mind that if someone is on UC, they can be getting huge amounts in child maintenance and it isn't taken into account.

Some people do. Because they don't see it as a big deal. Same as some people openly talk about taking coke at dinner parties or making false insurance claims.

I've got an asshole of a cousin who laughs about reporting his Amazon deliveries as missing if the driver leaves it outside, gets a refund or replacement and sells them on. He doesn't see it as a big deal because Anazon make loads of money.

It's a crime on society like vandalism, and it hurts everyone, not only people paying for benefits, but those on them as well.

It takes money away from people who need it. Not only that it is bad press for the people actually on benefits, as every time people read threads like this it gives them the perception that there are a lot of people out their on the (unjustified) take.

Keep your nose out. I also know someone who is doing this but I wouldn’t report it. Not going to achieve anything really, and also they do take your details when you report I wouldn’t believe you would always be anonymous!

I'm stretching to not believe it because lots of these threads seem to crop up and it's incredibly unbelievable that people committing fraud would be telling all and sundry about it. Do you tell all your acquaintances the detailed ins and outs of your finances?

Hopefully the benefits that they are wrongfully claiming will be stopped. Or do you believe everyone should lie and claim something they are not entitled to? Do you think the money for benefits grows on trees?

Yep. Suspiciously there seem to be an awful lot of people who are dying to tell mumsnetters that they are committing benefit fraud. 🤔

I find these threads so hard to believe. Why would somebody openly tell lots of people they're committing benefit fraud, knowing they could get sent to prison.

The cynic in me says people make this stuff up to start benefit bashing arguments.