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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

My friend told me she is committing benefit fraud

108 replies

UsernameChange · 09/02/2011 09:36

I have name changed for this.

Have a friend who I met this summer.She has DD aged 1 and I have 2DS's aged 2 and 6months so we are both SAHM's.

She has recently told me that she has been claiming housing benefit(£800 per month)and working tax credits,child tax credits and Income support.She told me she has 'hundreds'of pounds at the end of every month.

Her OH and father of their child live in the same apartment and works full-time and earns(in her words)lots of money.

The only thing that really worries me is that her DD sleeps in her cheap pushchair at night or sometimes their bed if she wakes in the night.
She has never bought her a crib/moses basket or cot since she has been born.
She also spends her money on cocaine at the weekends.
Anyway she is now getting worried about people watching her and getting caught.
Her partner sometimes finishes work and goes out drinking spending his earnings and she constantly moans about him that she can't stand him etc.
I think she feels that this benefit money is her stability.She also justifies it by saying he could get laid off next week or they could break up so she would have to claim anyway.
It does make me a when my OH works his arse off and every penny we have goes on the cost of living with nothing left over.

I don't want this thread to turn into a 'benefit bashing' or an argument just wanted to know how any of you would deal with this?
Would you report her(hate to do that)
or brush it under the carpet or stop seeing her as a friend?

Thankyou for reading.

OP posts:

StayingDavidTennantsGirl · 09/02/2011 09:40

I did jury service a few years ago, and we sat on a case of benefit fraud. The person concerned could have got a prison sentence, had they been found guilty. Tell your friend this, and ask her if it is worth the risk - because people could well be watching her - they were watching the defendant in our case, and amassed a huge amount of evidence before bringing them in for interview.

knitpicker · 09/02/2011 09:40

First things first - get her daughter out of that pushcahir! There are lots of sites where people give away baby things they have finished with where she can get a cot for free ('tho is sounds like she can afford a new one) - if that child doesn't start sleeping on a proper mattress then that is child neglect imo.

3timesalady · 09/02/2011 09:40

I would report her. Simple as that - it's THEFT.

To not report it is aiding her theft. Sorry but for me it's a black & white issue.

cantspel · 09/02/2011 09:40

Yes i would report her as i cant stand benefits cheats as they give everyone who really does need to benefit a bad name.

jeee · 09/02/2011 09:42

Frankly, the benefit fraud is the least of her issues. The lack of cot, and the cocaine abuse sound perilously close to neglect.

Ohjustshootmenow · 09/02/2011 09:43

Report her. Sod the benefit fraud for a minute though i'd be more concerned about the conditions the child is being brought up in - unstable parental relationship, frequent drug use, inadequate place to sleep etc etc. Call her HV for advice on that.

ambarth · 09/02/2011 09:44

She sounds very troubled. What she is doing is wrong, but I would worry about the effect on her kids if she were reported for fraud. If she is an addict and her money gets cut off it will be the kids that go without. Personally I would report this to social services and hopefully she can get some support to sort herself out.

WhatsWrongWithYou · 09/02/2011 09:44

I wouldn't necessarily report her, but I simply wouldn't want anything to do with someone with that sort of lifestyle. I'd see her as trashy I'm afraid, and I'd feel very concerned for her daughter.

Tbh, she'd probably drop me as I don't think I could keep my mouth shut about the child sleeping in a pushchair.

NimpyWindowmash · 09/02/2011 09:47

I would be having some frank words with her. Should we all claim just in case we or our OH lose our job? Point out to her that it's a ridiculous argument. Tell her that unless she stops claiming and also looks after her child properly you will have to report her. Not just for benefit fraud but also to SS, as I would be worried about her child.

georgeorwell · 09/02/2011 09:51

are you for real or a troll sent to whip up yet more benefit scrounger hysteria??

FabbyChic · 09/02/2011 09:52

All her benefit would stop if she were to say she lives with her partner. However, this seems the least of her problems. Can you source a free cot? I'd worry for the child.

Where is the child when she is snorting her cocaine?

She seems like she only cares about herself.

I wouldn't shop her but I would tell her some home truths about how she cares for her child.

MrsPresley · 09/02/2011 09:54

Can you really get working tax credit and income support at the same time?

I thought it was one or the other.

I would talk to her and see if you can persuade her to stop comitting fraud, taking drugs and get her to get the wee one a proper bed.

Once I tried (and probably failed) then I would seriously have to think about reporting her to SS for the childs sake.

AS for the fraud I'm sure she'll either get caught or SS will find out somhow and report her (if they can do that, not sure)

Ohjustshootmenow · 09/02/2011 09:55

First step would be to speak to the childs Health Visitor over and above everything else THEN report for benefit fraud.

ShirleyKnot · 09/02/2011 09:55

How is she getting HB, WTC, CTC and IS?

Is she Sybil?

bubblewrapped · 09/02/2011 09:55

genuinely confused here, but how can someone get WTC if they are not working???

ShirleyKnot · 09/02/2011 09:55

Er, cos it's bollocks?

Ohjustshootmenow · 09/02/2011 09:56

Partner works, so i assumed thats where the WTC comes from

mmmitsdelicious · 09/02/2011 09:56

Stop troll hunting Georgeorwell is getting boring ffs.
If you don't like the thread report or hide.

cantspel · 09/02/2011 09:57

you can still get income support if you work under 16 hours a week.

bubblewrapped · 09/02/2011 09:59

But if the partner works, how are they getting the HB.. it just doesnt add up to me.

Cantspel, OP has already said the woman is a SAHM.

I get the feeling that if the OP is genuine, the friend is telling her a load of rubbish.

Baggypussy · 09/02/2011 10:03

Distance yourself, then report her in a few weeks. Perhaps let her HV know aswell. Be very careful who you tell as the last thing you need is it getting back to her and causing yourself trouble. Everything about this woman is screaming trouble- keep away from her. You owe her nothing.

ShirleyKnot · 09/02/2011 10:03

And if the "partner" earns "lots of money" he won't be getting WTC so that doesn't add up either.

Oh and mmmitsdelicious? Coming onto a thread to shout FFS at someone for "troll hunting" without leaving any other kind of a post is kind of ironic, no?

cantspel · 09/02/2011 10:03

She is probably claiming income support for herself along with child tax credits and housing.

He could be claiming the working tax credit as working.

They have not informed the social that they are living together hence the fraud is that she is not entilted to income support and most likely most of her housing if she is living with this bloke.

georgeorwell · 09/02/2011 10:03

mmmitsdelicious am not into trollhunting can assure but these sites are used to spread govt propaganda FACT

DooinMeCleanin · 09/02/2011 10:03

You can't get HB, WTC, CTC and IS all at once. It is simply impossible. They all make very thorough checks. I was paid WTC by mistake once and my HB stopped immediatly until further checks were made.

Her partner can get WTC and she would get CTC, IS and HB - which she is entitled to. If her partner spends all his money and doesn't live with her (by same apartment - do you mean the same building or they live together?) she is doing nothing wrong.

THe conditions the child is living in is juts wrong. This is what should be angering you, not money FFS. You need to help her get support to care for the child properly.

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