just phoned benefit fraud line to report my son's friend's mum.

[foogle]

I have sat on the info for ages and didn't do anything except get angrier and angrier.

For christmas son's friend got a pony, bmx bike, x box, ipod and family ski trip.

My son got a second hand lego set as that is all we could afford this year.

Son's friend gets free school meals and all school trips paid for.

We can't afford school dinners and scrimp and save for son to go on school trips.

Son's friend's dad lives with them and works but I know she claims benefits as a single mum.

She earns £25 an hour cash in hand at a racing stables.

She gets everything paid for, including housing benefit etc.

We can't afford ponies nor lessons yet she has 2 competition horses.

I never thought I 'd do this as she's a nice person but I've had enough.

@ horse skiing

I think posts are being deleted because they state or imply that OP may be a troll. You are not allowed to do that. You can report a poster but not call them a liar on the thread

Arrrgghh you cannot undo a hysterectomy!

ChrisMsBrian Yes, apparently my random comment of "if this is real" upset the powers that be. But there are numerous other posts that said "I don't believe this story" and they are still standing from practically the first page. Interesting indeed.

Undo a hysterectomy? No thanks! I don't even want to THINK about the implications of how that would be done!!

That is true Brian. But MNHQ usually look more kindly on the thinly disguised posts like Hully's.

And the Jimmy Hill thing was genius.

Posts are only deleted if they are reported. Ones still standing probs weren't reported.

Perhaps we should all report them in the essence of being helpful.

Adopting a "thinly disguised" method from now on.

Ah nonsense. Who put you on stirring duty today? You big stirrer.

That's a funny word written down, isn't it? Stirring. Stirrer. Stirrrrrrrrrrring.

There are no benefits exclusively for lone parents, with exception of a council tax discount.

A couple gets less than 2X a single persons JSA/IS.

Someone claiming to live alone will get the single person payment. If their partner works, it's possible that they shouldn't be getting IS at all. If their partner is also on benefits then the amount of JSA/IS they get between them is higher than it should be.

Triggles that is a fair comment. Stupid of me. Of course LPs have a right to a private life!

I was thinking about the families of children I have taught, all hollowed-eyed and exhausted and thin, nine or ten siblings in a three-bed house but no man living there apparently. These children would fall asleep in class or faint from tiredness because they would be up all night with the younger ones.

And I have seen MANY such families. Man there, yes, often a random one, like my sister's set-up, but he is generally nocturnal and drug-taking

It's interesting to note the common thread with these things though. People are quite happy to turn a blind eye to what they perceive as benefit fraud... until the "fraudsters" seem to have MORE than what they have... then jealousy strikes, and they report them.

Rarely is it done because "what they're doing is wrong..." How many of these threads say "I've known about it for ages ... " "I've seen it going on for years..."

It really paints a clear picture of the person and their motivations, doesn't it?

Now, see.. with 9 or 10 children in the house, my hat's off to ANYONE that can find time to have sex. I have two children in the house and I can't even go to the TOILET in peace!!!

Totem.....yes, but there is NO 'lone parent' benefit. A single person, yes, but that's not necessarily a lone parent

Well as some who recently found out that I had been the topic of gossip I can safely say that idle chatter is often wrong.

A friend overheard a couple of other local people talking about how I could afford to go out every weekend (once a month actually) and roll in at 4am (umm, true, was a one off) when I'm claiming benefits and pleading poverty. It seemed to be that because my kitchen floor tiles are dented and I'm renting, that I must be on benefits (wtf?) and because I could afford a (rather lovely 'new look' top, £4 in the sale -yay) and because I took offence at being offered a sack full of hand me down toys "to put under the tree for the children at Christmas" because I can quite happily afford new toys and don't react well to patronising charity do gooders, well I must be a benefit cheat huh?

I'm not on benefits, I'm not rich, my floor tiles are dented.

Watertight proof isn't required for suspician, but sometimes getting a few facts absolutely straight is rather important.

Hence the questioning of the OP is quite important and valid.

My family doesn't have much but it pisses me right off that people can have multiple DC and spend the money on themselves. Seen such selfishness so much in the course of my work.

I used to deliberately leave silver coins for a boy to "get rid of" in my desk drawer. I'd see him later buying a loaf of bread and some butter and sugar at the local shop. I used to wonder how to scheme to get him to buy eggs.

But he had already been horrifically scarred by burning water AND run over from being let out at the age of four onto a main road

Olympia, Don't people still get an extra payment? It might be bundled up in the CTC now.

When IS was in one payment (before CTC was introduced), they sent a page with a breakdown of how they worked out the weekly amount.

They allocated an amount each for:

being an individual,
being a parent/having at least one child,
an amount per child
being a lone parent. I think it was about £16 a week at the time.

And no, there is no current lone parent supplement to ANY state benefit. HTH.

I'm sure there has been another horsey-benefit fraud thread before. Someone else mentioned it. Déjà Déjà vu vu vu.

well why should people on benefits be better off have more than people who are working and paying taxes particularly if they are claiming fraudently. It is annoying when you yourself are struggling but don't get any help.

Perhaps because most people on full benefits don't own a house and never will.

I like the suggestion of everyone setting a good example and selling their houses for 1990 prices

If her son is having school trips funded then they are only available to families claiming non working benefits. That's what I was told by our school which have funds for this. It's so kids from deprived backgrounds aren't singled out and don't miss out. It's a relatively new thing.

As a working single parent claiming WTC you cannot get trips funded. This doesn't seem fair to me.

I do so get tired of the whiny "why should they be better off than me when I work" comments. It's all relevant people! Use your brain!! Maybe they are only better off than you because they may not have a car, mortgage, university debt, or the credit card debt that you pay out on each month. Maybe they manage what little money they get better than you manage your higher income each month.

Maybe you should get blue or brown coloured contact lenses. Green is such an unattractive shade.... God, and people say "benefit scroungers" are "entitled"!! Not NEARLY as much as some other people....