to have reported my "friend" for benefit fraud

[buttercupp]

ok so cant go into too much detail for obvious reasons but i have a friend (not know for long but lives near me) and i have been debating for a while now whether to report her or not for living with her partner who is also claiming as living alone.

so today i have done it finally after being fed up of hearing what other electrical applicance they have bought with the stupid amount of money they have been given when my DH is out at work slogging his guts out just to make ends meet.

The reason i havent done it before is like i say she is supposed to be my friend,we have had nights out together and she has a baby so have felt a bit bad in that respect too but i knew i had to do the right thing.
would i be a hypocrite to continue to be her friend or should i avoid her from now on? i do like the girl just dont agree with what she was doing.and anyone know what will happen now i have reported her?

Def troll No decent sw would refer to their clients as scum of teh country.And if you are a sw you are a disgrace to the profession and someone should report you.

See it's that whole walk on by attitude that is on here that has turned this country into a total mess. Walk on by look the other way, be it crime or someone lying in the street.

If you know someone is cheating why not shop them it's a crime. I did in my case, but I told her to her face.....

That's why reporting is important gabby because unless suspicions are raised either externally or internally people won't get caught as it's all so complex.

Would you report the person paying her cleaner/Gardner cash in hand? or the local garage doing jobs for cash, not through the books? I know plenty of self employed people who do jobs for cash.I wouldn't report them either .

I'm hoping that none of the people on here who're taking the 'benefit fraud is a criminal offence and deserves to be treated as such' have EVER done anything as dishonest as paid a lower price for cash to tradesmen dodging VAT.... cause otherwise you'd be rank hypocrites.

I assume that if you did pay cash for a job you sought assurances from your plumber/builder/electrician that they were going to pay the VAT and asked for a VAT receipt for the work.

Theres more tax revenue lost that way ,then ever there is because of benefit fraud

usualsuspect I have a genuine question about that - surely you'd report the gardener, not the gardenee? Cos the gardener will be self employed and so it's his responsbility to do tax.

I've always wondered this when people ask. I'm self employed, in a treatment capacity. Clients pay me, sometimes in cheques, but usually in cash. I then do my self assessment and pay the tax I owe. My clients aren't doing anything wrong by giving me cash......... are they??

Must... not... post...

Gah. Can't help it.

It is very convenient for the government to distract the poorest in our society from asking questions about why they have so little by pointing at the tiny proportion of people who cheat the benefit system and blaming them. Get them to squeal on one another and you've got it made; they'll never protest or organise themselves into action. They're too busy ratting on each other. Divide and conquer.

In the eyes of the government, benefit claimants and benefit cheats are one and the same- it is woefully naive to side with the government and do their dirty work for them. They think you're scum too.

Benefit cheats are not the reason we're fucked.

Oh, and the amount of benefits which go unclaimed far outweighs even the government's estimation of revenue lost through benefit fraud.

Funny you should mention that, usual, tax evasion, yes I would and infact I have and it was a bloody good job I did.

When I was training I had a part time crappy job, the boss was a total idiot and he was employing people and paying people cash in hand and I reported it as they were clearing more than me, when I was above board and we were desperate for cash. I got another job and told him in no uncertain terms what I was doing. Turns out he was committing tax evasion on a massive scale,(not just by paying people cash in hand) he was taking money from MY wages and others too who were above board, for tax and NI, but not giving it to the tax office, so it was a huge mess for me to sort out as well. Luckily I did report it otherwise I would never have found out my tax was being screwed over which could have landed me in deep trouble. Along with many others who according to the tax office had not had their contributions paid.

The fact is usual, no matter which way you dress it up, benefit fraud is a crime, as is doing stuff for cash in hand, chances are they are breaking several laws, benefit fraud, tax evasion (both by proxy for not declaring taxable income)and denying people their consumer rights under law in the case of a garage. Mst self employed people though will be sorting out the tax themselves, so nothing to report is there?

I'd never touch a garage that did "work off the books". Why foreit all that protection you have under the law if it goes tits up? However that does highlight another point tax evasion is much more of a problem that benefit fraud. What you highlighted is tax evasion basically.

It depends on your own moral compass I guess, mine is I won't be fucked over by people who think they can break several laws to save a few ££££ as all the rest of us end up paying. If you know lots of people who do that, that's your social circle and I understand why you wouldn't report it, I don't want to mix with people like that.

In the 2 circumstances I have reported people I have done so because the risks to me were personal if I went along with it, I was not covering their backs, no bloody way.

Even the govt admit that tethersend the 'grass thy neighbour' that they encourageis far more sinister as you say.I wonder where all these claimants living it up are I have never met anyone on benefits who isn't living hand to mouth.The ones with the plasma tvs must be the minority!

Noddy who said genuine claiments were all living the life of Riley.

Life on benefits can be bloody tough, I have done it, it's not a picnic at times BUT people who are playing the system can afford all the luxuries, they shouldn't be able to on benfits, which then gives genuine claiments a bad name, and the editor of the Daily Mail a wet dream. Can no-one see the damage fraudsters do to genuine claiments, really?

As far as the powers that be go, claiming benefits at all makes you scum- it is laughable to suggest that this perception is due to fraudulent claimants. It goes far deeper than that.

I think that's a bit paranoid tbh, I don't think that is the general consensus of the nation as most get benefits of some sort, CB, CTC, whatever.

It's the press that drag out the hysteria in people by highlighting the extreme cases, a lot of which are fradulent and this does nothing at all for genuine claiments.

Ask anyone who say has to claim DLA how they feel honestly about people who are in the papers day in day out for claiming whilst dancing or whatever.

Fraudsters do make it harder for genuine claiments without a doubt, we shouldn't protect them.

I didn't say it was the general consensus of the nation. I said it was the powers that be.

I think you are doing exactly what you are being told to do, and thinking as the government expects. Well done.

You think I'm paranoid. I think you're naive.

Well done, what for protecting MY OWN tax and NI contributions which were being stolen by a tax evader and which would have screwed me over in later life and at the time with tax credits.

Then protecting 2 peoples jobs as a benefit fraudster wanted people to lie on a security clerance declaration which could have seem criminal charges brought to people if they went along with the whole seedy facade yes I think I did well........your point is?

Hardly naive is it, more like being switched on and not risking your own livelyhood and that of your families to help someone commit a CRIME.

So many people here seem to by symathisers with criminals......you'd think people were claiming more than they should.

Ok, yeah, if you like.

What, can't counteract the points made which are entirley valid so you give a non-response, waste of a post.

Can, done it so many times am bored.

I am not sympathetic with criminals but am unsympathetic with sneaky busy bodies.

Or perhaps I'm just bowled over by your new and insightful take on the issue an am lost for words.

You decide.

its not a crime til they have been convicted.....for all you or anyone else knows,the claim might be valid.

its rare someone on the outside knows the FULL truth.

Well done YANBU she is "stealing" from all those that pay tax and NI and cutting down the pot for real deserving cases.

And yes I know there are ill and disabled people who deserve our help but she and her partner seem to be a pair of ponces

Benefit fraud is a crime dragonfly. She may not be guilty of benefit fraud - not the same as benefit fraud not being a crime.

Dragon that is a ludacrous POV, ofc a crime has been committed if they are comitting benefit fraud whether they get a conviction or not.

That's like saying to a rape victim, no crime has been committed as they can't get a conviction due to lack of evidence or many other reasons.

A crime can be committed without a conviction.......

People do seem to be trying to hard on this thread to decriminilise benefit fraud, if it makes you feel better and all that

well obviously thats what i meant mingg
but many many people are reported maliciously.....my ex's partner reported me few years ago,compliance officer said majority of her work was from malicious reports. it was obvious to us both....she had the details given in front of her....that it was to just cause me grief....but they (rightly)have a duty to follow up....but the ex's partner was so wrong. what a waste of everyones time

so you see,i was reported for benefit crime....yet no crime was comitted....see emmylolou....my pov so ridiculous???