If you knew someone was committing benefit fraud would you report them?

[Chloefairydust]

If you knew of someone who was committing benefit fraud, and had been for the past 7 years would you report them? Let’s say for example this person has been bragging about claiming benefits (I’m assuming child benefits and universal tax benefit, potentially benefits toward housing too) during this time and hasn’t declared assets that she has in that she actually owns a house she shared with her ex. She’s been bragging about seeing a solicitor who’s told her she’s owed a substantial amount of money from having her name on the mortgage while saying shes thinking of a way to claim the money from the house without alerting the benefits people (she also bragged about how she never payed a penny towards the bills or mortgage when she lived with said ex, she seemed quite smug by the thought of getting her hands on his hard earned cash🤨) … I was quite shocked and didn’t want to judge but it just didn’t seem morally right to me… If it makes any difference she’s not worked in about 6 years either with no interest in getting a job 😕

Is this benefit fraud? And what is the moral thing to do here? turn a blind eye and accept she’s claiming money she’s not entitled to? Or to report? I have never reported anyone for anything, and I try really hard not to judge other people, so I’m struggling morally with what’s the right thing to do now…

Would she be in lots of trouble or would she just get the benefits stopped? What would you do?

As a (recently reinstated) top rate taxpayer supporting these fraudsters, 90% yes. I’d leave an anonymous message on the benefit fraud action line. I think such things exist.

However if I knew someone was really struggling and working all the hours they could and not being reckless with their money eg fancy holidays, 20 fags a day, then no, I probably wouldn’t.

karma will bite them in the bum at some point. And this is bollocks. Bad things happen to good people completely randomly. Resorting to "karma" is like saying that God will punish the wrongdoers. He really won't.

I would. We all lose out when people commit fraud. The reason there’s so much going on is that British people ‘keep their nose out’ and think it’s nothing to do with them. It’s illegal; it’s fraud. Report away.

I think it likely she's in a bad place emotionally or mentally and is struggling, because no one intentionally committing fraud would brag about it in the way you describe. It suggests insecurity and anxiety, to me.
Also it sounds as if she hasn't actually received money from the house and it's quite possible her boyfriend doesn't contribute to her household (the law is unfair in this as he is then the one gaining from the welfare payments, but she would be liable to go to prison for it; historically women have been convicted of crimes where abuse or lack of ability to stand up for themselves has been behind it and they have not gained from the alleged crime). It's possible she was and is unable to work due to lack of confidence and issues that don't get taken into account or offered support, but do hold many people back.
In short, no, you can't tell her real situation and could be causing untold distress to her and her children.

I'd campaign for better welfare and wages and women's rights instead.

The DWP's own estimates of amounts lost to fraud is less than the amount owed by the DWP to people eligible for benefits who do not receive it and is a very small amount overall and very small indeed compared to money lost in unpaid taxes etc.., so it isn't really an issue.

IF she is claiming benefits (you don’t know what they are and she isn’t being sanctioned over not looking for work) the DWP will get notified as soon as anything over 16000 hits her bank account.

Id report her. Its not fair on those that need to actually claim benefits and will most likely have reductions due to people committing fraud.
She should have kept her mouth shut rather than brag about it. Its the knowledge she wants to hide the equity from the house sale that would tip the balance for me.

And would you tell her you’d reported her, like the OP definitely will?

This is exactly what I'd be concerned about. I've known of situations like this in the past, where a man is living with a woman and refusing to contribute, often having moved in with a single parent who was claiming benefits she was entitled to. The woman is then convicted despite it being the man who gets to live rent free who has gained from the situation.
The woman is usually emotionally dependent and scared he will leave if he has to contribute financially, or even being abused.
This would make me very wary of reporting someone.

I'd suggest instead simply pointing out to this woman, OP, that she's talking about doing something against the rules that could get her into trouble. Ask if she realises that her boyfriend has to pay to support her and the children if he is living with her.

I wouldn’t report her because I don’t know the ins and outs of her financial situation, just what she’s bragging about. What I would do is have the courage of my convictions and tell her that I think she’s doing a shitty thing and I wasn’t interested in hearing any more about it, so that when someone eventually does report her, she couldn’t point any fingers in my direction.

People committing benefit fraud are not taking money from “this government” though, they are taking it from people like me, who pay quite a lot of tax. I’m happy to pay this to cover the things that I use, and to support people who the state supports, but that doesn’t mean that I’m also happy to pay to cover fraudsters who are not entitled to what they are receiving.

@Chloefairydust What Lu901 has said.

You say 2 wrongs don’t make a right. You claim to have morals.

Do the morally right thing and have the integrity to engage in an honest conversation with her and tell her that you are considering reporting her.

Be upfront and honest. Being underhanded is not morally right.

@Sarasandman I knew of a situation where the woman did the right thing and reported her change in circumstances that she was now living with her boyfriend.

Because of his earnings all
her benefits were cut and she was completely financially reliant on him. He didn’t really want to financially provide for her and she became destitute. She had no money for anything. She had no financial ability to leave and she tried to get help to leave but couldn’t.

It took a long time for her to get herself out of this situation.

I actually do not agree with this old fashioned expectation of the welfare system that your partner has to provide for you .

I think it contributes to the levels of domestic violence and the difficulties in leaving.

@ImustLearn2Cook i don’t disagree about financial abuse, but you have to take household earnings into account, otherwise you’d have sahm’s with six figure salary husbands receiving welfare. There are already NI credits for this very reason though, because there’s no certainty that a couple will be together in retirement just because they are living together today

Of course people end up in prison!!

Exactly this.

The benefits system is not perfect, but there has to be certain rules in place so people don’t take advantage of the system.

@wimbledonwanderer That’s a fair point.

never ceases to amaze me how widely benefit fraud is condoned and positively encouraged on here. I can only assume that an awful lot of mn’ers are or would do the same given the opportunity.

As for the argument that the government/amazon/insert organisation of choice are doing the same, the two things are not mutually exclusive.

Fraud is fraud, or do you only disagree with it when it isn’t someone you personally know.

And it is people like the OP’s relative who will lead to benefits being far more difficult to come by in future.

I’ve read threads where people get more stick for not having a TV licence.

The DWP don't know the amount lost to fraud because they don't know how who is committing fraud, if they did they would stop their claims. And people eligible for benefits who don't claim them aren't owed anything until they make a claim.

If I had any suspicions about benefit fraud I would drop a dime on the culprits immediately.

Yes if I was sure she was committing benefit fraud I would report her. There is a finite pot. Those who desperately need the support are not always getting it because others defraud the system. Benefits should be paid to those with a legitimate claim. When my son was briefly unemployed we supported him as he did not want to claim as it was only for 4 weeks until new job started. He caught up his voluntary NICs too so it would not impact his pension.

Even people found to deliberately defraud benefits system get away with a community order and slap on the wrist if they have a child. They should be made to repay double amount they stole from others like disabled, because that is what they are doing.

@VampiresWife, surely she can't claim benefits as single Mum if bf lives there too. So may people do this but it is literally taking money from a pot meant for others like disabled.

This doesn't apply to other financial crimes committed against other disabled people so why should it for benefits?

No I wouldn't report this I'd stay as far away from the situation as possible however.