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.

What you should have done if you were that bothered is been upfront. Let her know directly that you suspected something off and given her the chance to right the situation. You had the perfect opportunity when she asked you to help with the form.

If she had not 'corrected' the situation, then you could have told her directly that you were going to grass her up.

If it's fiction then she'll be fine then, won't she? Nothing to worry about at all...

What she should have done was not lied about her earnings.

The OP hasn't done anything wrong.

I could never, ever shop someone because they suspend your payments while they investigate and I'd want to be 100% sure, seeing as I could never be that sure I'd not risk it. I'm not into counting other people's money tbh and tend to mind my own fucking business.

She was waving the form around to a group of people, so, she wont have known it was me. She has big overpayments and was asking people to have a look as she didnt understand it.

Lefty, I can understand this might be hard for you if you have had some injustice around this, but can you please stop mud slinging, im not enjoying anything, I do/ did feel bad and im sure i will feel worse if she does get investigated, Hopefully HMRC will be able to have a look and it will all be above board. If its as simple as you all say, all they have got to do is look at her p60 and the tax address for her partner.

Gulitladen First you said you feel quiet bad then you said you feel terrible? Obviously you don't, either that or you can't control your feelings towards certain things. You helped her fill out forms then you reported her? so glad that I don't have people like you in my life. If you earned twice as much money as her would you still have reported her?

I completely disagree that OP has been cowardly.

She is just getting on with her life the same as the rest of us, she has no responsibility here to start playing Cagney and lacy finding proof and warning someone who she already knows to be a thief.

Why is there this feeling that she should be obligated to tell her colleague that she's going to report her? It would make no difference, a criminal has a chance to avoid being reported before they commit the crime. They have already taken their risk, and anyone who dies the right thing and reports them is unlikely to have asked to be in this position.

Cowardly would be keeping quiet and allowing a crime to continue to happen.

Either she's just an acquaintance who you couldn't possibly know everything about and have therefore made a lot of assumptions or she is a friend you have stabbed in the back. She will know it was you and I reckon she will make sure everyone else knows what you've done as well. I would.
You clearly did this out of jealousy regardless of what you say so here's something else to think about, I was once jealous of a friend on an apparent low income claiming tax credits. She had her nails done every week, her roots coloured and ends trimmed every month, expensive jewellery, the latest designer clothes and she went on the most amazing holidays. I was CRAZY with jealously. Until I found out about her 8 maxed out credit cards.

Exactly. If it's all above board - and I'm sure it will be, because otherwise that would making her a thief - then it will all be sorted and she'll have nothing to worry about.

It's easy for people to say 'If she's innocent then no harm done', but that isn't true. News travels fast, and there's the social implications of being accused of fraud. Mud travels fast. Not to mention the stress that being falsely accused heaps on a family.

If you're absolutely sure, OP, then fine, good for you, but I don't know why you've started this thread other than to gloat about your moral high ground and be patted on the back by everyone.

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen Glad you wrote that, I thought I was the only person on this thread who likes to mind their own business and not worry about other peoples money.

Nope, nothing to worry about at all.
Except for those sick of these threads popping up multiple times a week attracting ignorant bile ad infinitum.

Hopefully HMRC will be able to have a look and it will all be above board.

I thought you were absolutely certain she was guilty?

I did not help her fill out her form.

She was waving it about as she didnt understand why she was getting paid less, She sort of knows me, as a friend her work mate, and we were standing at the school gates and she just asked.

quite bad/ terrible/ angry, yes, all of those things. I didnt realise one had to pick a feeling and stick with it, that feelings arent allowed to change?

Absolutely, basgetti.

If she's really committing fraud and earns more than is stated on her HMRC form, then that's being facilitated by her employers who must be having her working on the side (or whatever the expression is).

Either way, what's it got to do with DWP? If she's not on their system as claiming IS or whatever, what would they do?

Hopefully she won't suffer any hardship from what's happened and she learns not to let jealous snoops find out what she earns.

so glad that I don't have people like you in my life

You're someone who would turn the other cheek as your neighbours house was being burgled. Hardly the moral high ground you have there.

Gulitladen I apologise I thought I read someone say you helped her with the form, but once again I will still tell you what you did was wrong and done out of complete jealousy

So you didn't get a close look at her form, she waved it about and somehow you got enough of a look to know with certainty that she was committing fraud?

jealously over what?

More holes than crochet this one.

you feel guilty as essentially you did this because you are jealous of her, and your motivation was unpure

were someone in an HMRC office uncover her, they would feel zero guilt

I've a feeling you're going to live to regret your actions, OP, as it will become obvious that you have reported her.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. I don't agree that you should have reported her at all; but what makes you really unreasonable to me is that you have been so sneaky about it.

SirChenjin In life I only look out for myself, friends and family as those are the ones who look out for me. And also I would never be in a position of having to call the police about my neighbours getting burgled because that kind of thing doesn't happen where I live.

oh, she was waving it about to anyone in the vicinity. She didnt understand and then said to me, as I was next to her, could I explain what was going on.

Im quite sure its not above board, else I wouldn't have reported, but some posters on here seem to think its all fine, in which case HMRC will find it all to be fine,and it will all be done, wont it.