To think reporting someone to dwp for going on holiday is ridiculous?

[CactusJelly00]

As it doesn't actually mean they're hiding income!
It's happened to someone I know; and she's now in the unfortunate situation of having some of her money stopped while everything is investigated and being treated like a criminal, as someone has reported her for having undeclared income.... because she went on holiday!
Aibu to think this is a ridiculous reason to report someone?
They know who's done it and why, but now she still has to prove herself to the DWP and I just think it's awful that someone's reported her for that.
Would anybody report someone for that? I just can't understand it.

Fuckin hell, Romance. Talk about there being freekin haunted

Well quite ivymaud - on both counts

Well it is suspicious, those payments are supposed to represent a bare minimum required for an acceptable quality of life. But stopping payments to investigate seems OTT. The holiday could have easily been a gift, it seems unlikely that they would do that on the basis of reports of a holiday alone.

Okay then, outy. Where are we drawing the line here. If a person on benefits smokes drinks socialises or has the audacity to have any pleasure. Should their money be stopped. After all smoking and my drinking if you do it every day must be at least a £30 pw habit. For all we know this women could live frugally and have saved up the money.

Outty you've clearly been lucky enough to have NEVER had dealings with dwp. I hope you never do and your good luck continues.

@graphista no, and I never intend to (as much as I can help it obviously). From what I have read on here it sounds quite grim. But even so. I can’t imagine they would bother investigating unless they had something to go on.

I mean I assume that they have been told other stuff as well.

"But even so. I can’t imagine they would bother investigating unless they had something to go on." I wish that were true.

I too never thought I'd have to deal with them. Life throws you curve balls unfortunately.

If I'd known of mn I'd have protected myself better financially from my ex's infidelity and subsequent behaviour.

Don't think I could have protected myself from the consequences of being in quite a bad car accident though.

You seem to recognise it's a case of "there but by the grace of..." Though - lots on mn don't and seem to think they avoid it by being virtuous.

IvyMaud, benefit is not suspended before the investigation begins, but at the point Irrefutable evidence of a benefit offence is obtained, or after the case has been referred to a Decision Maker. It is not in the Fraud Investigators' remit to stop benefit. We gather in evidence and ask for benefits to be suspended immediately if it is clear cut, the claimant having too much capital or working over 16 hours
per week, to not do so would compound the overpayment.

@puer125

Have you read any of the posts where people explain that this DID happen to them? It DOES happen.

Again PUER you are completely entrenched in what you think should happen. This is NOT what actually does happen. Benefit suspension begins when somebody decides it does; not at the point of irrefutable evidence. Were this the case, then those of us who have had our benefits stopped for seemingly arbitrary reasons, would in fact have been prosecuted. You are talking tosh.

And yet it doesn’t change the fact that benefits are suspended every day for spurious reasons and then take about 8 weeks to reinstate if lucky.

Benefits stopped here by an Investigator who hadnt even realised the 'work' being done was free and for a charity - took 4 months to get them reinstated by which time I was in huge debts and fortunate I had very understanding landlords. The DWP are, barring the occasional human, horrific.

What SHOULD happen and what DOES happen varies greatly with dwp plus several posters posted quotes from the official govt website refuting various claims you have made PUER

Tart, Your money was stopped for doing voluntary work. Talk about no good deed going unpunished.
I'd have gone the press and made a right cunt out of them. How would that be for a story. My money was stopped and I was left impoverished because I wanted to give something back to society.

Awlook - another disgusting thing is that charities accept workfare people i.e. people forced to work for no wages. Those charities should be named and shamed.