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.

Ideally, the system should not halt money during an investigation until they are found to be guilty. The fact that innocent people suffer from false reports is a problem with the system. I'm pretty sure over here in the US if you are found guilty, you are legally obligated to pay that money back.

So, this person needed some help with filling in her form. Rather than ringing the tax credits helpline, she decided to ask an "acquaintance" to help her - knowing that this would involve showing the fraudulent figures already filled in on the form?

Right you are.

I turn a blind eye as it is none of my business

If you knew your neighbours house was being robbed would you not phone the Police because it wasn't your business?

Until you know a persons precise circumstances you don't KNOW if it's fraud.

You lot bleating - have you tried to claim? I'm filling in at least a form a month for something or other, endlessly having to send in bank statements as proof.

Defrauding us becoming rarer and rarer. Heck there's genuine claimants being turned down left right and centre now.

The OP was specific to tax credits. Administered by HMRC. Who also deal with tax so will be aware of earnings by next April at the very latest. Everything is now on a database, it WILL get found out eventually.

Oh and Joy's post WAS about disability and carers indirectly because she stated to claim was a matter of pride and didn't consider that for some there is no choice.

The OP doesn't need proof Piggy, she is not the police, she is not a fraud investigator, and she is not HMRC and the DWP.

She is someone who has very valid reason to suspect a crime is being committed, so she has referred it on to the appropriate people so that they can make a judgement as they have access to evidence that OP cannot possibly have.

She has way more than a hunch, RTFT.

Look OP, regardless of whether or not her claim is fraudulent or not, and regardless of whether or not you are right to report it if it is, you have most definitely behaved in a cowardly fashion by not telling her of your actions first.

You have gone behind somebody's back to report them for something they have (allegedly) done. If your 'hell'-don't believe in the place myself- is a place that cowards go, you are heading for it.

But what if the OP has made a mistake? She doesn't know all her circumstances from looking at a tax credits form does she?

If she's wrong then this woman could face months of hardship as has been documented on here by those poor buggers who have been maliciously and erroneously reported.

If the woman's reported earnings and actual earnings don't add up then the HRMC will find her out. Same if her bf is living with her - they will catch on that his tax address is the same as hers. No need to report.

Nothing cowardly about not telling a suspected thief you're reporting them - not at all. Simply report your suspicions and leave it up to the people who get paid to investigate.

SirChenjin Neighbours no because they are not my friends, friends yes.. I'd certainly raise the alarm.

A lot of people report people for benefit fraud out of jealously if you are jealous of someone else's life style get a better job or just face that you can't have the things they have.

It is cowardly. No doubt about that.

Ok, so, ill burn in hell then.

I just cant imagine having a show down, some kind of jeremy kyle fight about this in person, Id be terrifed of getting punched and yes, that might make me a coward.

I wouldnt want to make things awkward for my friend who works in the same team as her.

I thought at least she wouldnt know where it had came from, and it would get sorted out.

Indirectly bing quite an important word there LeftLoony.

I read that post to mean that she had enough pride to not attempt to claim something she didn't desperately need, despite being in a difficult situation. But I don't have anything to feel defensive about, so I was able to read what was actually said instead of attaching my own issues to it.

I know, let's all report the person above us for not having tax on their car. It'll be larks, won't it?

Never mind that you don't know whether or not that's the case. Never mind that actually the person above us might not actually have a car or be able to drive. Never mind that we're not in full possession of the facts. Never mind that there is now an efficient database that will pick up on it.

None of that matters because it's a moral duty, right?

Yes I'm instantly defensive. So would you be if you'd been copping this bollocks for six years now.

Wow - you'd actually not report a burglary taking place to the Police unless you were friends with the person

What an odd way to live.

you have to send bank statements for housing benefit and the like, not for tax credits.

Look OP, regardless of whether or not her claim is fraudulent or not, and regardless of whether or not you are right to report it if it is, you have most definitely behaved in a cowardly fashion by not telling her of your actions first.

She's going to continue to pretend to be friends with this person too, and play clueless when friend is suddenly down on her luck. In fact, I think it will vindicate her to see her friend struggle.

But you know, I'm sure her guilty feelings will help feed her friend's child if it's found she's innocent.

Really? Not attaching issues? Ok then.

OP - you will not burn in hell! If she's been stealing she'll be caught as a result of the subsequent investigation - excellent.

You think she won't know who it is?! She got reported just after she asked you to help her with her tax credit forms!

Of course she'll know where it came from! How could she not?! YOU were the person she asked to fill in a form.

She will know. You'd have been better off being upfront with her.

Down her luck?

You mean, facing up to the consequences of stealing? Yep, that's what tends to happen.

No, because HMRC have the figures to hand. They have the information. They don't need people hellbent on making other people's lives harder.

Hope you're enjoying this OP after all it's exactly why this thread was started in the first place wasn't it? We get enough of them that you would know exactly what the response was.

She isnt my friend. And no, it wont vindicate my feelings to see her struggle.

I think there is a lot of projection going on here, that or we have all moved down the east end and are looking out for our mates and avoiding the po.

Hopefully, you've got your facts right, OP. If you have then you were correct to report.

We got the old style renewal forms, btw. Our earnings (that they were aware of) were printed at the start of the form, but they were still blank on the form itself.