Should I report my cousin's benefit fraud?

Report him, many people need/deserve pip and it’s such a delayed backlogged system with the neediest of society struggling while people like your cousin get away with it. Report him

Get a life

So let them assess the case and decide if he is receiving the right benefits.

Benefits are there for people who GENUINELY need them or as a temporary measure to get back on your feet. Anyone abusing the system should have repercussions.

People should ALWAYS report anyone they suspect cheating the system.

I doubt if he would be investigated.

My neighbour has been claiming for 2 years on the basis that his depression and anxiety are so bad he cannot leave the house. He in fact leaves the house almost every day. He works cash in hand Monday to Friday and he also goes shopping, walks his dogs, goes out with his girlfriend.

I have reported him numerous times and nothing whatsoever has happened

Mind your own business. You don't know the full circumstances around his claim.

PIP fraud is 0.4% at a cost of £90m per year. Compare that to the £187m of PIP which goes unclaimed each year because people are too proud to claim, too frightened to to or simply can't bear the awful process of claiming it or the stigma attached to it.

But I will leave you to have fun bashing disabled people.

That's not necessarily true, it can be about the ability to navigate a journey from A to B my son is 14 and currently gets HRM under SMI rules
There is not a chance this is going ti change when he's 16 ,he can't walk anywhere on his own ,it would be impossible for him to get a bus ,he's completely non verbal
Obviously this is very different tinrhe,Ops cousin but depending on the extent of his mental health issues than in some cases people might get a HRM award for not bring able to get from A to B independently.

I wouldn't bank on it....

I think a 'few thousand' is wildly optimistic.

Another hoary post to encourage people to benefit bash the disabled. Well done op.

I've recently helped a teen transfer from dla to pip. The assessment was thorough and everything had to be evidenced. Lots of medical letters, reports and input from professionals. So I call bullshit on your post.

Well exactly, multiply that by a few thousand people around the UK doing the same as the OPs cousin then it adds up to a tidy sum...

I think it’s wrong to grass on family, unless they’ve murdered someone. There’s something really insidious about it.

I do think it’s wrong to claim benefits fraudulently but personally I wouldn’t like myself if I did that to my own family. I couldn’t even do it to a neighbour.

If he gets this car I think he'll become even more unbearable

If he has no physical issues @GreatAmberSnake he won't be getting the higher rate mobility component so won't qualify to lease a car from Motability. I hope that sets your mind at rest.

I am so sorry you have to endure his boasting about fraudulently claiming.

There are so many mumsnetters who have relatives/friends/neighbours/hairdressers/plumbers/sister's husband's cousin's wives who openly boast about defrauding the benefits system. It is quite astounding.

Not sure if this is real or just to rile everyone up so they think all benefit claimants are fiddling the system. These posts seem to pop up occasionally, and we have a possible benefits overhaul coming up.
But I'll play along. Ignore him, and if he has depression as bad as you say he's welcome to PIP.

Digital Spy advice forum has 4 pinned threads about claiming benefits, with lots of tips and hints for accessing the most income.

One of my colleagues (a registered nurse) used to work for Capital, doing PIP assessments, but she barely lasted a year. She found it incredibly stressful and the majority of people she assessed were genuinely disabled in one way or another, whether physically or mentally.

When you apply for PIP people tell you to describe your worst day.

You don't see him that often, you don't like him and you are not close to him. Maybe the boasting is a front. Maybe he then goes home and disappears back into his own head. He has been suicidal in the past and probably has severe mental health and anxiety issues that he masks.

As for the car, they are not given it, they take something like £300 from your payments to cover the lease and insurance.

I would leave well alone, unless you want his possible death on your conscience.

You do you and let him do him, you might not agree with it but we aren't all made the same way

Someone who has tried to kill
themselves isn’t mentally fine tbh.

maybe he is bragging to cover up his obvious mental distress. Either way you can report him and they can investigate if you are actually serious.

The PIP fraud rates are 0%.

He didnt get PIP for not being able to tie his shoelaces. Hes exaggerating to you and minimising his issues (because hes embarrassed probably). Getting PIP is incredibly hard and requires a bucketload of evidence.

You are legally obligated to report or you're incriminated as well.

If you work for the DWP you would have to report and also if you work for the council where he is probably be claiming CTR and other benefits from. You'll lose your job if you knew and haven't reported.

Back to OP's dilemma - not sure you always get a prison sentence for benefit fraud - it's not always in the public interest to lock people up for this. He'd have to pay back what he has fraudulently claimed (if indeed he has) although it would be on a repayment plan and not a lump sum

You're not the only one who's noticed this.

On MN in recent weeks there have been threads about people with diagnosed conditions like MS who are on benefits and are still being vilified. So we're in dangerous water here - anyone who is perceived to be a "drain" on society is being targeted. Reminiscent of a certain last century regime.

Getting benefits is no picnic and the amounts barely cover the basics. Getting disability benefits is even harder. Myths are being allowed to run unchecked on this site and it's a slippery slope in conjunction with things like the Assisted Dying Bill which has been ever widened in other countries to cover more things than simply terminal illness.

Listen. He's committing fraud.

Also there is a lot of evidence that working (in the right environment) hugely benefits mental health and it's very likely it will help his depression.

Working helps people make social connections, gives them a purpose and a sense of pride, helps them have a routine, promotes self esteem and confidence.

You would be helping him in the long run.

I'm sick of people cheating our rubbish system which is meant for those who genuinely need it.

I can promise you nobody gets a mobility vehicle for depression and anxiety.

This might not be kind but heck yeah, I'd shop him. He's stealing from people who need it.

I despise benefit cheats.

Yes report

He is f*ing over the rest of us

The judge will take account of any suicide risk / MH issues at sentencing. It is their job - they are literally paid to do this, so you don’t have to.

Sadly there are more social media pages now telling people how to claim by lying.

As I say every time this comes up, please link to one. Must be easy when there are so many.