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.

I am suspecting many on here probably fiddle the system hence all the agro with reporting suspicions, as surely normal law abiding citizens want their tax to go on, you know important things, like schools and hospitals rather than ohh thieves.

Gerard, your tax doesn't go on thieves.

Oh of course I am.
I'm either making up the kids' disabilities or tying them to chairs whilst I go out and work cash in hand.

facepalm

Actually I pay quite a bit of tax and receive minimal benefits, I still think what OP did was shitty...

I don't think this thread is real tbh. It's changed this year. Last year I reported my income as X amount (I was wrong, I earned a little less) but they just went by what I put on the form. This year I didn't get a tax credit renewal back so I rung up and asked why and they said they used the information from my P60 to update my details so it seems to be different this year... Isn't that what they are doing with most working parents now? Would make the most sense to...

I'm amazed at how many people here clearly don't understand how government budgets work. And also that a decreased benefit budget doesn't mean the government spend more on education or health.

Seriously people.

AbbeyBartlet I was answering the point that it was a lie that someone who committed benefit fraud should go to prison. But actually, no, I don't think a lone parent should go to prison for an offence like this as I don't believe it's in the interests of a child to be separated from their main carer in this way. I also don't think it is always black and white, sometimes situations are financially abusive behind closed doors.

Why on earth did you report her to the DWP when it's HMRC that are administrating her benefits? That's like reporting a burning house to the Cats' Protection League. Also, given that you haven't known her very long, how on earth do you know what's she's earned this year? She might have only started work a few months ago, she might have only recently moved from part-time to full-time work - did you ask her this? If not, what makes you think that you have the right to make shit up about her and potentially put her in a position where she will have no entitlement to benefits? Where on the TC form was her HB claim set out? Hint: fucking nowhere, so you couldn't possibly know about that.

This is a stupid thread.

Apologies for not reading the full thread but I'm in the middle of doing tea. I know of someone in a similar position, 4 children, 3 different fathers, never worked a day in her life but because she is claiming to be a single parent (she has a live in partner) she is very well off.

She has been reported several times by different people (not me) and has never been investigated once, so dont feel guilty OP, chances are nothing will happen anyway.

Is it really that easy to just claim you are earning one amount for benefits when you are actually earning much more? Do HMRC rely on people being honest/people dobbing in those that are defrauding the system? Don't they have a way of cross-checking earnings to benefits? Otherwise how utterly bizarre and primitive our tax/benefits system must be.

Bizarre and primitive? Surely not?!

Now, if only we had a citizens' income, this would all cease to be an issue

I wouldn't report anyone even if I knew they were fraudulently claiming.

Me neither actually.

YouMakeMeHappy you never answered my question about how soon after your report, this person's Facebook post about them losing their benefits was posted?

usualsuspectt you are so right. I wouldn't report my worst enemy under any circumstances. When the benefits system stops shafting genuine people and the rich who are shafting us all are brought to book, I might change my mind. That will never happen of course!

Sorry but that Iw an all time low. Reporting someone for benefit fraud. I hope you never have to falsy claim because remember what goes around always comes around.

It was none of your damn business. X

Cheating the system means there is less money in the pot for those in genuine need

No. It. Doesn't.

The amount of benefits paid to genuine claimants isn't going to rise based on how many false claimants are shopped in and have their benefits stopped (and by the way, not all of the people whose benefits are stopped have actually been falseley claiming).

The DWP will falsify information and offer leading questions in the interviews to try and catch people out. Many people won't be able to hold up to the stress of appeal; my parents were only able to be found innocent because they had a MH advocate on their side who helped them appeal. Was the DWP official who falsified information and lied in the meeting punished? Of course he wasn't!

Second class citizens.

I think many posters here do not understand the severity of benefit fraud and how the benefit system works...the mind boggles.

I hope all those who say 'don't report' would also not call the cops if they got burgled. Because if you've got enough money to have things worth taking, you deserve burglary.

this is the logic here on all the 'no sneaking'.

Calm and rational?

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.

That's calm and rational?

hes given up his own place. As in, he moved in with her, properly. If he kept his own place, then that woudlnt be classed as living with her and ergo, i would not have reported her on that.

I do not know what he contributes to the household, you dont need to know that. I do know he lives there, she is claiming she is on her own. thats enough.

Haven't read the whole thread but just to correct this piece of ignorance, it does actually matter, you do need to know. He can get rid of his own place and live there and not be counted as living with her. It's all about whether their finances are separate or not and not about who has other properties elsewhere.

Explain it to us dimwits then, Gerard.