Ive Just shopped someone for benefit fraud, do I deserve to burn in hell.

[Gulitladen]

I feel quite bad.

This person is an acquaintance, She was a single parent for a few months, then she met someone who pretty much moved in, he was paying her bills for her and moved in properly earlier this year.

She has always worked full time with a salary of around 20k.

She seems to have an awful lot of money, and, as a single parent myself, I couldnt quite work it out. However, I have seen her tax credits renewal form as she didnt understand something and asked me to have a look for her, and shes claiming to be a lone parent, working 16.3 hours a week, earning 12k a year less than she actually is.

She is also claiming housing benefit as a single parent.

So, I have completed the DWP form and sent it off. I couldnt help it, it makes me see red.

But I now feel terrible.

Good for you. She is stealing from you, me and everyone else who pays any sort of tax. You can sleep well tonight.

I wouldn't lose sleep over it. She's a thief.

Well if you're correct about your complaint and it's honestly made, it's not a terrible thing. But my god, you'd want to make sure you've the right end of the stick here. If you haven't, that family will suffer.

I can't imagine doing something like that for that reason.

She is doing something illegal, you have done the right thing.

I couldnt help it, it makes me see red.

You will probably get a variety of different responses. However, one thing is certain. You could "help" reporting her. It's disingenuous to pretend otherwise. No one held a gun to your head.

How on earth do you know what she earns anyway?

12k a year less

You have done the right thing.

Just a minute.....

If she is just an "acquaintance", how do you know how much she earns? Unless she is a colleague & you handle the payroll how can you be sure she is actually on £20k and not the £8k she stated?

How do you know about the HB claim? Was that detailed on the Tax Credits form too?

That's a massive difference and yes I'd be tempted to do the same in this case. I think I would probably choose to keep out of a situation where there was a small discrepancy but that really is a lot of money! Hopefully it's a mistake and they'll help her get everything straight and the overpayment paid back.

How do you know her salary?

If you were certain then you have nothing to feel guilty about.

I feel bad, I am not a snitch. But I am a hardworking single parent myself. Ive always worked, Im still very poor, and we live a very basic life.
She life is full of handbags, shoes, days and meals out, holidays and boozy nights out.
I was asked to go along a few times but always had to decline as I just cant afford, or warrant spending that on myself, and she would ask me ' why cant you afford it, you need to sort your finances out' which is why I saw red and reported instantly.
She only had money as she was lying about her circumstances.

Yet I still feel awful.

She's an "acquaintance" but you know all her financial arrangements? Hope you're bang on with your assessment of her situation. There's a lot at stake.

So you've just seen her renewal which details last years earnings? And she's a recent acquaintance so you don't know her long and aren't privy to what she earnt last year, only what you believe she earns now.

How do you know all this?

Bet she's over the moon to have asked for your'help'with her tax credits.

I'm betting you don't know all the facts, but hey, you'll be better off, oh wait, no you won't.

If you've reported the situation accurately then you have nothing to feel guilty about. She understood the risks when she decided to give incorrect information to the DWP.

She has told me, we have mutual friends in the same job role in the same place, they get paid around the same.

She isnt one to keep quiet about anything, and talks very freely.
She works full time, not even min wage would pay £8k a year for that. And again, I have seen her tax credit form where it said 16.3 hours a week.

the DWP will carry out their own investigations. they do not take all the facts reported to them as completely true they check for themselves. so if by chance some of the ops facts aren't spot on then it doesn't actually matter because they will find this out anyway. I would always shop people for this. sorry. all the time there is fraud going on it takes money away from the people who really need it. someone once calculated the amount of benefits we could pay if fraud was irradicated and it was shockingly high.

I know shes been in the same job for 3 years, the same as my friend. I know she works full time and has done for the whole length of her time there.

If you're sure about your facts about what she's up to then you did the right thing. The benefits systems is there for people in genuine need and if she's lying to get benefits then she's a thief.

How do you know what her income from the past year was?

You say an acquaintance but she came to you for help and you've been invited out with her - sounds like she sees you as a friend :(

I couldn't do it. Not knowing there could be consequences for a child.

I know people will say it's her own fault etc... but still, I couldn't do it.

I think you did the right thing, like others have said the DWP will now investigate everything.

You suspected benefit fraud, and rightly reported it, you don't kneed to know all the facts.

You can sleep well, she is a thief and robbing the system, she is a criminal. Fear not.

Look, if the situation is exactly as you describe then fine - she will get penalised, as she should.

You just need to be so 100% certain of your facts when you report someone - and yes, plinkyplonker makes an excellent point! A tax credits renewal form relates to last year's earning/income/benefit amounts - not the current year.

So, if your "acquaintance" only started to live with her DP this year (as you say), there may be nothing amiss surely?

need to know*

She's stealing that money from someone who really needs it (assuming she's guilty of course). You're probably not the only one who has put two and two together.