Is it ever OK to report anyone?

I don’t see why it’s so wrong to report someone who is claiming benefits fraudulently, or paying hardly any tax. The bill for that falls to all tax payers so I can understand why people get frustrated when they get home from work knackered from a 12hr shift where they might have been verbally abused by patients etc and their neighbour is sitting in the garden drinking wine or off on another holiday as they are claiming benefits as a single person and have a partner living there. Or are paying no tax at all so have much more spare money. I probably wouldn’t personally do it, but who knows. I’ve been there as a teenage mum claiming benefits and now I’m mid 40’s and a higher rate tax payer, so I do know how it’s not easy to manage on benefits. But some people are blatantly cheating the system and yes it can be bloody annoying to see that when you’re working long hours.

Yeah. It's funny how often that seems to happen to MNers, people seem terribly keen to admit they are committing fraud! Meanwhile I struggle to believe that personally.

I wouldn’t report someone if they didn’t have a TV license or anything like that. I also wouldn’t report anyone who did benefit or social housing fraud.

I’m not bothered that Sharon next door is getting an extra £400 a month due to LCWRA but is working cash in hand jobs here and there. I don’t really see what I’d get out of reporting things like that tbh

Am I referring to myself? Yes people have told me they have been claiming things they are not entitled to.

Other than a safeguarding issue, no I wouldn’t ‘report’ someone. It’s a very mean minded thing to do. Mind your own business.

I claim UC. Nobody close to me knows the ins and outs, they do know I claim it but they don't know what I'm claiming for or how much I get. Do you tell everyone you are close to exactly how much you get paid and how much you have in your bank account?

No, we don’t report people. We would speak to them if we had an issue with the behaviour. And people who report seldom own it and don’t wish the person to know it was them. People dress it up, but it is nearly always spiteful or malicious.

we have been reported. For planning breach. A very old and minor one.nothing signficant and it was approved retrospectively, planning were a bit hacked off as they knew it was malicious. Basically said let’s get it retro approved then there is nothing more they can do to you.

we told everyone they did it. And we have never reported them. So they look like absolute cunts. Which they are. So that’s fair. Most folks understand a fall out. But when you move to reporting, you go too far; in my view.

It’s not that straightforward- claims can be suspended whilst investigations are ongoing which can cause families serious issues

You can know about benefits if it's someone close

Yeah, I suppose I was more talking about benefits. But I'm a non driver so to be honest it would never even occur to me to pay much attention to a car. 😂

Violence or anyone suffering, yep I would.

TV License, benefits, tax, no I wouldn't. When I had to do tax returns, I "sailed close to the wind" a few times, so no, I wouldn't.

You can literally 100% know if they haven’t paid their car tax

Is it a negative thing to report a crime? Specifically benefit fraud?

How many threads about the hooters of PIP proceeded do we see on here? If people didn’t commit benefit fraud that process would be easier. Actions do have consequences

Similarly there are people at the BBC relying on their job and the income from the TV license.

And money from ‘car tax’ is actually money for emissions tax. What do you think that money goes towards?

I am assuming the question is around if you definitely knew for sure...eg if the person is in the pub sounding their gob off.

I wouldn't report anyone, because there is no way you can know 100% that someone is committing fraud unless you see their bank statements and know the fine details of their income and outgoings.

I've reported for child abuse. I would report for drunk driving, animal abuse and safeguarding. Benefit fraud - no, because I can't see myself ever having a full enough picture to be sure, and the impact of a report on someone who is not cheating the system can be absolutely horrendous and plunge people into poverty from which they can't recover. People really should think more than twice before reporting benefit fraud, the system is now punitive and an incorrect or malicious report can be devastating.

Deliberate serial serious benefit and insurance fraud yes. same with car tax/insurance. TV licence no.

The woman who made me homeless and destroyed my life was just a run-of-the-mill busybody. Spent all day looking out of her window, and used to cross-question me about trivial things like bringing a different bag home than the one she'd seen me go out with

I later heard she'd reported me twice for housing benefit fraud. The first time was because I worked - the department could easily check my earnings, which were low and I qualified for HB. The second time she reported that a man I knew from the pub had moved in with me. I wasn't even seeing anybody!

I don't even think she wanted me to lose my flat. She was just a bored woman who'd developed a minor fixation on me, it would have worn off after a while.

Depends on reporting what and to whom.

Yes, in a heartbeat without a second thought.

I’d never report for any of those reasons, no. Safeguarding or criminality that harms others would be the only areas I’d feel the need.

Surely it depends on the situation? I think defrauding the benefit system is pretty shitty, but it’s a bit rubbish to judge when you might not know the full picture (so how would you know it was fraud?!)

How would you even know?

I don't know which neighbours have TV licences, or whether they watch live TV / BBC.

I don't know which people get benefits, or what their other income or savings are.

So what would there be to report?!

I can't imagine how boring and pathetic people's lives must be to be going around reporting people for not paying a TV license or car tax 🤣

There's a high chance that a person who doesn't TAX their car doesn't bother to MOT or insure it.

Do I like paying out for any of those, absolutely not, it's expensive, but as I need my car to go about my day and incase of an accident being my fault I'm blowed if I'm not going to be covered.

By not doing so it's expecting the innocent party to stump up costly repairs due to selfish behaviour, not to mention any personal injury to anyone.

My job requires me to either report a client for fraud or break contact with them. Really difficult as lots of things - like not paying TV license - are because they are massively broke rather than trying to be a criminal. It's really difficult because it means you are "betraying" them or cutting people off with no support just when they may have come to trust you after years of struggling.