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.

I'm sorry, I typed evasion but I meant tax avoidence. Good way to illustrate they are totally different things though

Oh all, right, MrsDeVere

Xenia and Serenity, you overlook just one simple and straightforward fact. You are absolutely right and if you were reading a little more closely I suspect you would have picked up on how no one has said that anything illegal, criminal, or against the law. Benefit fraud is all of those things that is excepted. Much like shoplifting and carjacking are accepted as against the law.

However the phrase "All in this together" coupled with the notion of "fairness" both of which brought in to play by people who have a comfortable life in order to tell us that austerity is necessary and the poorest will just have to suck it up, does give us the right and the duty to point out that by legal means some members of our society are wilfully and deliberately not contributing in a fair way to the problem that by and large they caused. It also seems that huge companies like vodafone and others are not paying massive amounts of legaly due tax which is criminal and if they did the level of austerity could be much less.

So in short the mob or the people of this country will not be lectured or told that because someone breaks the law, means that they are the only ones committing an offence to wards the rest of the people of this country. We are unless you are willing to admit we are NOT in this together. So in that case we all must act in the interests of each other which means paying taxes and not looking to use the legal loopholes to avoid the responsibilities that come with a comfortable lifestyle and a place in our society, the poor are not the only ones who need to be fair.

Here?s what using the tax avoidance argument is like-

?If we all paid 50% base tax the government would have lots more money!?

But legally we don?t have to pay 50% income tax.

But if we did, we?d have more money!

Ergo, all who don?t pay 50% tax are cheating the government out of the money it COULD have if the law was DIFFERENT.

Tax avoidance is using tax LAW to pay LESS tax. The law ALLOWS you to do this. Using tax planning, including avoidance tells you what tax you OWE. Just as my income is only taxed on What I OWE.

If vodaphone were not paying legally due tax that is tax evasion

We?re only all in it together if everyone is willing to pay tax they are not OBLIGED to, to help out the government.

First of all, as can't go into the personal facts of 'how I know it's fraud' as it would out the woman in question, take it from me that it is definitely fraud and if it was not no way would I have rung.

She is a professional woman earning cash in hand (yes I know his as fact but again cannot go into specifics, you are right, this is not a mere stable hand we're talking about). She is getting her rent paid as a single mum.

Her long term partner lives with them and has a good job. Her son gets free school meals and tell me, what is the criteria for getting them?

Too right I am angry and vindictive about this. I completely support the idea of benefits but when it is abused by individuals like this I would like to see them punished actually.

By the way, I am actually going to tell her, because I see it would be wrong to not let her know it was me. I would not be telling her if I hadn't come on MN. I don't see any reason not to let her know. I'll let her know after the investigation so that they get their evidence first, ok?

what is the criteria for getting them

Being paid CTC but not TC and having a household income of under £16,000. She could meet this criteria if she's working under 16 hours a week.

No you can only get FSM if you don't work. If you earn so little that you get WTC which is under 17K approx you do not get FSM and other 'hardship fund' money which school hold for expensive school trips, skiing etc. At least in our EA region.

Fgs... You used the free school meals as proof she us computing fraud???

Horah!!!!! thankyou very much. My husband works very hard for his money and pays alot towards people like her.

he does believe that we should pay towards roads, nhs etc but not lazy cheats.

THANK YOU xx

Quite agree, we were on literally half a salary for a while, (under 10K) and got no FSM. It really is only available to claimants of JSA IS or ESA.

TELL THE SCHOOL TOO>>>>HAVENT THEY NOTICED THE CHILD IS TALKING ABOUT SKIING AND PONIES ETC

HAVENT THEY NOTICED THAT THIS CHILD IS GETTING FREEBIES FROM SCHOOL..........lunch, school trips??????????????????????

Wot about the other mums, havent they noticed??????????

Still don't get why is wrong really. If you suspect it, report it IMO

It's not down to OP to prove it or list all benefits and why she shouldn't get them. That's why she reports suspected fraud and it's then up to relevant people to investigate and act
Yes most claimants are genuine but Some are not. If no one reports anyone for
Fear of causing offence then presumably more people would cheat, ESP if turning a blind eye and not
Reporting was considered 'the norm'

I do find your bitterness deeply unattractive but I also believe that we all have a moral duty to report crime.

And leave it at that.

You cannot be judge and jury, just stick with being an informant and let the authorities manage the investigation.

Presumably they will be on red alert to malicious calls and have procedure in place to manage appropriately.

If they bungle it, that is their doing and not within your control.

We can't grumble about crime if we don't do our bit to reduce it.

Could you not have anonymously written to her to give her the chance to put it right herself? Now her child could suffer. Might be her 'fault' as she allegedly 'chose' to defraud. But it is not his.
There's something a bit unpleasant about a grass. Sorry.

nursenic, you are too kind, dont worry kids will b fine, most kids dont go horse riding

and having less toys, no prob....kids want time to play with parents and friends more than they do toys!

every kid deserves a pony

No,Hct, the toys/riding are an irrelevance here. I was referring to any possible court case which will identify his mum and dad by name and street address which will be seen by all his classmates parents and filter down to his little friends...No he will not be unaffected. Benefit agencies always notfiy our local paper when they have a court case coming up to ensure it is covered.

I am not making excuses to break the law. Just that there are many ways to address this problem before this drastic measure.

Zukiecat

same applies here. Anybody receiving either WTC or TC with income falling below a level can claim free school meals. Have plenty of clients with children in receipt of them and claiming any combo of benefits. Also have client on low earnings who will not claim WTC but who has been granted free meals for her Dd.

Nursenic ''There's something a bit unpleasant about a grass. Sorry.''

I completely agree with you.

She won't be getting income support if her child is now in school, you get moved onto jsa. Where you are made to jump through many, many hoops. She would not be able to hold down a regular 'secret' job whilst on that!

mustcontrol there's something unpleasant about people who fail to stand up to stealing and cheating because they don't want to stick their heads above the parapets.