A friend has been caught as a benefit cheat....

[bitzy12]

Or so she thinks.

She's a single parent and works 2 jobs. One is 16 hours and the other is at a restaurant.

Now I always thought that she claimed to hmrc about the restaurant job but turns out she hasn't. She works 4 days or nights a week and gets £80 every shifts cash in hand :-/

Her 16 hour a week job hmrc know about and she claims all the before she can as a single parent - child tax credit, working tax credit, housing benefit etc

She's received a text (she won't tell me who from but I'm guessing it's her ex) that he has contacted hmrc and told them about her cash in hand job.

She is in a state. Anyone know what she can expect to happen? She's been doing this over 3 years.

She always assumed she would get away with it. I'm really disappointed in her as I hate this kind of stuff. She has a daughter aged 5.

She says she can't be 100% that it's just a threat and whoever it is has just done it to scare her.

I've told her to leave the restaurant job now but she says she can't. She can't afford to which quite frankly is bollocks. She could, she would just have to cut back on her luxuries. Her dd is always in expensive clothes. They both are. She constantly buys her toys, takes her away for weekends etc.

She says it's because her dds dad doesn't pay maintenance but I know he does (i still know him aswell)

She's been well and truly stupid. If it does come to anything, does anyone know what she can expect? Will all her benefits be dropped until she pays it back? It will be thousands she owes.....

She will have to pay it back and her benefits will be stopped while HMRC investigate, if she has been reported she will find out soon enough.

this might help: www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/offences/item/benefit-fraud/

Ok thank so much for the replies

She cheats the system and she lies to you.
Why are you her friend?

you are the friend, aren't you?

anyway, sounds like you've been caught and you haven't a leg to stand on

I've told her to leave the restaurant job now

God no. She'll need that income to pay back the benefits she received that she wasn't entitled to.

Yes, if she stops receiving benefits, she might as well have a job.

Haha no I'm not the friend lol. I'm happily married and pregnant with 3rd dc. On my life it's not me 

I could take offence to that comment but I won't......

If you read my post, I said I had no idea so therefore how would I know she lied?

To be honest, I don't really see her as a friend...we don't go out and I don't see her out of school. Our kids are in the same class and she always comes to me in the playground. I'm always the one she seems to come to whenever she has a problem. Her dd sometimes comes for tea.

I have absolutely no advice for her though, that's why I asked.

I haven't replied to any of her messages and knew I couldn't avoid her in the playground this morning. Also I'm quite interested to know what could happen to her.

And yeah...I didn't think of it like that....I'll tell her not to leave it then.

It's just one of those things you shake you head at....I do know her quite well and she's one of these that thinks she's the only single parent in the world and she can do anything she wants as she's a single mum. She's always sharing that crap on fb. So I think she just thinks she's entitled to everything and anything.

As for our friendship, like I say, we don't do anything socially (obviously cos she's always working in the pub). I can't avoid her with the school thing but I will be taking a step back from her for definite.

I struggled so much as a single mum, I cannot stand anyone who takes advantage of it.

(She says it's because her dds dad doesn't pay maintenance but I know he does (i still know him aswell)*

So, you know she lies to you...

From what you say, disengage.

You can't help her and you shouldn't get involved.

Who needs enemies when....

how friendly are u op?

Why is it everytime you post something on here, there's always one that tries to catch you out on every little thing you say?

I also know him through school as he does half the pick ups. I know because I was chatting to him just before dcs broke up for Christmas after the nativity and he was saying what he wanted to get his dd for Christmas but his ex - my friend - had said she would prefer him to give her extra money on top of his maintenance and she would get her everything. That's how I know. Just through a general conversation. Is that a good enough reason for you?

As for how friendly I am....dunno what that's got to do with my post.

All I wanted was some advice for someone who has got herself in a bad situation. That's all.

surely your advice can only be "come clean, tell the truth and face the music"

what else can you tell her?

Yeah I pretty much have said that to her to be honest. There's no other option but I think she will do whatever she can to get out of it. She's pretty much convinced herself that she will end up in prison....

I've just never known a situation like this before and have no idea of what sort of outcome it could be.

Anyway thanks for everyone's helpful replies, I'm just gonna leave it at that. I can't say anything more than what I have said already. I just know I'm gonna be the one who she comes to to talk about it so I might have to keep my distance.

Hmm, it's the employer's responsibility to operate PAYE on her cash in hand job. There would be nothing wrong in her being given cash, if it was the net figure. HMRC would try to recover the tax from the employer, who would usually then try to get it from the employee. At the moment HMRC are so stretched, they probably won't bother to investigate.

She cheats the system and she lies to you.
Why are you her friend?

^This

She says it's because her dds dad doesn't pay maintenance but I know he does

My ex's friends know he pays maintenance too

He doesn't, but they all "know" he does.

I'm really disappointed in her as I hate this kind of stuff.

The father who reported doesn't pay maintenance, she is solely financially responsible for bringing up their child. Save your "disappointment" for someone who deserves it.

Oh just read properly and supposedly he does pay. Well who knows then.

Yes Qvar my ex pays generous maintenance too, every knows that, except me

Fair enough that you can't trust many men when they say they pay maintenance, but (and even leaving the clothes out):

Her dd is always in expensive clothes. They both are. She constantly buys her toys, takes her away for weekends etc.

It doesn't square with someone who's struggling financially.

Oh for goodness sake....everyone read the post.

1. It's NOT the fathers child that reported her. It's an ex since having her dd.

1. As far as I know he does pay maintenance as he mentioned it to me in conversation. He seems a very genuine guy who really does love his daughter so I'd be very surprised if he didn't pay maintenance. It's her that's the liar after all.

This is going totally off the post that was simply asking what can happen to someone who have been caught as a benefit fraud.

There has been a couple of helpful replies so thanks

Having said that, it's really crap of her ex to report her, as it affects the children, if it was him. Unless it's another ex.