Friend fraudulantly claiming tax credits as a single mum

[OrangeFlower7]

I am getting increasingly exasperated with hearing the woeful stories from my friend - she and her husband 'split up' at the start of the year but are now back together / still living together. She is always saying how skint she is, since getting married (was a single mum beforehand) as her tax credits claim stopped. So, when they split up, she started a new claim as a single parent with a low income. He has a full-time well paid job. So now they get housing benefit for their 1.1K/month rental house, a high tax credits award of about 10K plus his money from his job...it just seems a bit unfair for her to keep moaning on when we've been struggling with DH being made redundant and getting by on some self-employment but really trying hard each month to get the money together for the mortgage bills etc.

WWYD? What should i say next time she moans on? Do you think, I should report them for tax credits fraud?!

Jengnr The Torys arent "doing an excellent job" as you put it.

The fact is there is a system to report fraudulent claimants who blatantly flout the law and stick two fingers up at the tax payers who fund the benefits system. The Torys are the government in power during the worse recession since WW2, so they are acting on our behalf by trying to deploy taxpayers's money correctly, to those in greatest need, not those who play the system. No point Tory-bashing!

Reporting fraudulent claimants is not the crime, for goodness sake let's at least be clear here about who the cheat is and stop vilifying those who do the right thing. And if you know the facts because they come from the mouth of that very claimant, then it becomes pretty clear cut IMO

Report her. Yes, tax credits can be 10k, a friend of mine works full time for a very low salary and she gets 10k. She works for the government, who really need to pay decent, living wages rather than ones that put families below the poverty line.

I would report it, it was me that started a thread a week or so ago about exactly the same thing although SIL. . I got almost universally flamed for being a bitch not having my facts straight etc. I was a bit shocked tbh.

I have reported in my case. If they're not doing anything wrong then fine nothing will happen if they are then I've done the right thing. All the people that say don't report seem to condone theft of public funds and come up with any number of reasons to justify the theft. Some of them don't really seem to understand where the money comes from either!! I think someone said in my post that they never turn people away just because others are fraudulently claiming- no they just have to put taxes up or make cuts else where..

In the end I decided I'm not acting as judge jury and executioner, merely passing on information. I feel I've done the right thing.

"She's probably worried about her marriage and claiming when you need to takes forever and causes big problems. If her husband fucked off again she'll be in trouble."

Sorry, but on what planet does worry about your marriage justify fraud??

Do they have lots of children? Only I'm a single parent and I don't receive anything like that.

I earn £600 per month, get £400 tax credits (so £6k per yr) and £185 housing benefit. She seems to be getting an awful lot more.

I am a single parent and claim as such, I also have a disabled child so get higher payments.

My exH with whom I am on good terms regularly stays with us when he has work in this area (he actually lives 280 miles away). This summer he has spent lots of time here as he has had work in the next county.

Anyone who didn't know us that well might assume we had got back together, that exDH was living here. We haven't and he isn't at all.

Then again if somebody reported me for benefit fraud I could prove the above very easily. Nor would I mind especially....beyond wondering which of my "friends" it was.

Do you know the facts as you have posted them are certain?

I agree about the £10k number because as far as I know Tax Credits are a max of £6k

It's a crime. Report her. Benefit fraud is a very small percentage of the total benefit bill, but it is still a crime. I can't see why you wouldn't report her tbh. And don't listen to anyone who says "it's none of your business" . Fraud is everyone's business because it affects all of us.

It's odd how many people hate benefit reporters more than those who commit fraud. It really does seem to be seen as a crime that doesn't matter.

I think people tend to see it as a crime against a government that can afford it but really the government can't afford it; it is taxpayer's money and is a crime against them really.

Personally I don't agree with this sort of reporting as it's just yet another way of us, the borg drones turning on each other while the ones at the top have no problem of riding on the backs of the taxpayer... and for more than 200 quid a week I would hazard a guess. Except there's not really much we can do about that. No number to phone.

I couldn't bring myself to report, personally.

I'd be thinking about the child/children involved and the implications it might have for them or on their quality of life.

Yes it's a crime but I'd feel like I was punishing their kids as well so no matter how much I disliked the parent my conscience wouldn't let me report them.

A bit weedy I know but there you go!

I report anyone who is overpaid and I am resentful of. It makes me feel like a better person if I drag people down as much as I can - especially if they are friends. Nothing more annoying than supporting friends to get more out of life. I especially don't like friends who so-called legitimately get pay rises or stable employment -its just not fair on those who can't, so I do everything in my power I can to damage those bastards too.

In fact, now you mention it, if your friend had any credibility and sense of fairness she would be trying to get you and your dh to lose your jobs. I bet you aren't workibg as hard as you could, have stolen work time, paper and pens on your stupid mistakes and frivoulous internet habits. You too shpuld be punished...

Gamerchick you are right in what you say. It is a pity people do not look at the real crimes being commited by the people at the top instead of turning on each other.

But it is a crime isn't it? It's just one you have decided isn't as bad as other crimes.

fwiw I think it is MUCH better that poor people fight amongst themselves to blame each other, I need my time to drive down wages, rebuild society so there are real barriers for the poor and construct a way for tge tax system to keep my workers alive whilst I pay them less than they could live on were the tax system not subsidising my businesses in this way. Reporting, in fighting, and battling for scraps will stop the poor from interfering with this strategy. We can't have them challenging employers about the living wage, or retailers about profiteering on low cast food items or moaning about free education.

If people are so poor they can't live then we need people to think its because they are lazy or criminal..(mind you we can MAKE them criminal if we make them poor enough..note to self.. )otherwise WE get all the shit... and that interferes with our lifestyles and annoys our shareholders no end

I don't like this government at all and I don't like all the flat-screen TV benefit bashing. But if someone's circumstances have changed and they are still claiming, therefore committing fraud, they are part of the benefits-bashing problem because they are damaging the credibility of all benefits claimants. It all contributes to build up the atmosphere in which people are told they 'don't look disabled', are lazy for not finding a job, etc.

gamerchick I see your point but it ought to be possible to tackle both. It would be nice to have the aim of holding everyone to certain moral standards. Yes, there's no number to ring, but we can keep discussing it and pointing out double standards. Though it does depress me to think we have nearly 2 years to go yet till an election.

its not a crime btw its contractual fraud and shit knows a lot of decorated business people have built their careers on that ...cough.. misselling..cough. . credit crunch... cough.. murdoch newspapers...cough.. fayed...cough...

Personally, there is room in my day to criticise fatcats in government and big business and to say someone is wrong for fraudulent claiming. It doesn't have to be an either/or.

One thing that this thread has taught me is to trust no one.
SIL reports you....
Friend reports you.....

look the benefit system is a way of ameliorating tge fact that purel economics do not work in creating a productive society because of the waste at the bottom end. If your friend leans on that system a little too much for a while then cut her some slack, that's what its there for. Sure you can be the kind of cunt who lends a friend a fiver then goes on about 'the rules' and punishes them for not paying it back to term but ask yourself is that really the society that works most effectuvely?

whilst your friend needs help don't begrudge them it. Youll need to get lucky/ lwan on state support more tgan your 'fair' share sometime in your life.. do ypu want us all clamouring for our money back if you get cancer or are permanently on anti-depressants need an operation etc?

its just miserable being a bastard so on you go if you like. personally I prefer to help people c so tgat their reliance/dependence isn't permanent. if you get her a fraud c onviction ypu will help her dependence be permanent. which will cost more anyway plus the legal costs plus the investigation time plus ..plus..plus...

So you are not worried about cost/ the problem of dependency/ or the 'crime' you are just resentful of someone else's way of getting money into their pocket..whilst undoubtedly taking focus away frim improving your approach. That is what resentment does. Please stop.

I think in the end the claimant is creating a situation that will backfire on her and do damage. If she is receiving this money illegally, it will come to seem as if it's really hers. And if she gets caught (it's quite hard to hide a resident husband on paper) she will have to pay it all back and may very well get a criminal record. The housing benefit people will probably make the connection with the single parent claim at some point.

In the medium term, I think it will also stop her from making a real go of her life.

That's not an argument for reporting. I don't honestly know what I would do in this situation. Probably nothing but I would feel disapproving. But also a bit sorry for her because these are not the actions of an empowered woman.

OP, if you REALLY feel strongly about this issue, why don't you confront your 'friend' and ask her to desist from her fraudulent actions or else you will report her. However, you will not do this , because you prefer to stab her in the back . The poor cow will probably confide in you when she is eventually found out.
The truth is that you resent your 'friend's' financial position. I pity you.
You should also consider that fact that you may not have all the facts, she may not have told you the truth.
I hope you are aware of the fact that she will probably find out that you reported her.

Correction: "The poor cow" who's knowingly committing fraud.

Those saying the OP should tell her friend to stop claiming or she will report her, if the friend responded with 'I'll do as I like and mind your own business', what would you say she should do then?