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.

She's a thief. It's public money she's stealing. You did the right thing.

just to point out, that if her tax credits are suspended while they look into it, she still has a wage of over 20k of her own, and her partners full time wage to live on.

she is hardly going to be going hungry.

So, you don't feel guilty at all then really, do you? Because you've managed to convince yourself that you've done no harm.

What is the purpose of this thread then? So people can pat you on the back for the brave and wonderful thing you just did?

She will have received two final award notifications.

One for the period where she was a single parent, the other for the joint claim.

Depending when her circumstances changed, it is perfectly possible her earnings up to that point were @8k.

The 16.3 hours per week may well have been in relation to childcare, after school club or what ever.

yes, shes pretending to be single, and thats why I reported her. she is not single, she is living with her boyfriend. Not staying over sometimes, living.

She should not be claiming as a single person when she is not.

I dont understand how anyone thinks that that is ok.

Don't feel bad, it's your civic duty. I'm proud of you ;)

I've done it too so you're not alone

She may not be single, but if her new bf moved in to her home, how do you know that he is paying "all of her bills"?

i think that's a bizarre assumption.

evil. No, they were final awards for last year and this years notice. Both saying she worked 16 hours a week, Both having the same childcare costs of £127 a week. Both saying shes claiming as a lone parent. You do not have to state how many hours childcare you are using, that would and has never been on the form, ever.

Her earnings have also never been 8k, she works with my friend, has done for years, I know how much she earns and how many hours she works.

If she is not a single parent, how the hell should she be claiming that she is?

If you live with your boyfriend, you are not a single parent, that stops. Awards for tax credits and other means tested benefits are based on the household income. Ergo, his income should be used in the calculation.

Which it is not.

so, theres that, along with her massive lie about her working hours and how much she is earning.

People like you annoy me to be honest; you get all uptight about benefits when, if you really cared about cheats, you'd be more indignant about tax havens and the REALLY rich getting away with paying no tax

Which is the real 'crime' in the UK.

Besides which, you don't really know her exact circumstances, do you?

The kids suffer in this situation. Never mind, eh? You did the right thing.

You're a classic product of the capitalistic system; get the proles to snitch on each other while the fat cats laugh all the way to the bank.

BTW, if you didn't want responses, you should not have asked.

The title of this thread is Ive Just shopped someone for benefit fraud, do I deserve to burn in hell.

OP's last post is *just to point out, that if her tax credits are suspended while they look into it, she still has a wage of over 20k of her own, and her partners full time wage to live on.

she is hardly going to be going hungry.*

You just wanted a pat on the back really didn't you?

I just hope the assumptions you have made about a casual acquaintance - and the hearsay evidence from your mutual friend - are spot on.

So... what's making you feel guilty?

Well said moomin, and so sorry to hear that your family has been through such a terrible ordeal .

Wild horses couldn't bring me to report benefit fraud, not in a million years. It's just not something I'd ever do - rightly or wrongly. I know it goes on, but I'd be prepared to bet that much of it is committed by people earning a few quid on the side - and not the globe-trotting designer handbag brigade that we're led to believe it is.

Tax evasion causes a massive problem to the Treasury, but I don't see too many threads from people on here getting all hot under the collar about it.

You do know she'll know it was you, don't you? Are you going to admit it when she figures it out?

Well said patjen

The title of this thread is Ive Just shopped someone for benefit fraud, do I deserve to burn in hell.

OP's last post is *just to point out, that if her tax credits are suspended while they look into it, she still has a wage of over 20k of her own, and her partners full time wage to live on.

she is hardly going to be going hungry.*

You just wanted a pat on the back really didn't you?

I just hope the assumptions you have made about a casual acquaintance - and the hearsay evidence from your mutual friend - are spot on.

And what about my child? Im a single parent, is it then ok for me to lie and claim more than i should?

And for anyone who reports me, they are the shit one?

tax havens etc, yes thats bad too, the whole lot is just as bad as each other. However, since i do not know anyone with tax haven issues, and am not friends with the owner of starbucks, i cannot do anything about it.

Apologies for x-post there.

Hope you're bang on with your assessment of her situation. There's a lot at stake.

NikiFury - there's only a lot at stake if she's lying about what she earns and her boyfriend living there. If she's legit then she will be fine.

Until last year you could just write the your earnings figure in the box. As far as i know they dont automatically check these, some were spot checked, but thats it.Its only this year where they have populated that field themselves, and the systems have synced.

I'm not sure that is quite right, end of year figures have always been checked against p60, or filed returns.
A few years ago an error was mace on my renewal, either I read the figures out wrong (over the phone) or they were taken down in the wrong order, which over stated my income I.e 9765 instead of 7965.
Tax credits picked up on the error and issued me another 7 trees worth of forms to correct it and so claim the correct amount.

I think i did feel bad. I now dont.

I think that being told im in the wrong, when im not the one doing anything illegal, has kind of pissed me off.

And now im glad i took some kind of action.

even if she is legit, her money will be stopped.

It is very possible she reported her change of circumstances to HMRC an dhas 2 award notices, that may be why she asked for your "help"

we had 3 award notices at one point with 3 different figures.

No she won't, Last Tango. Suspension of benefits while they investigate might mean she ends up not being able to pay her bills.

piano I think it's quite clear she doesn't' feel guilty at all.

Whether her children lose out is not your responsibility that lies with the parent. If that persons life becomes difficulty again that is not the OP's fault.

If the gossip and assumptions are unfounded, it totally is the OP's fault if the children suffer.