'My sil works investigating benefit fraud. I am agog with the stories she tells.'
My friend works in benefit fraud over 20 years - I hope this is a bravado post and not actually true because they're not allowed to do this.
"Not if she didn't name or identify them" the very nature of the info needed to tell the stories would be possibly identifying so they're told not to risk it at all. It's also advised against as it makes them look biased.
She IS a bright, thoughtful woman though I am surprised she's ended up in this job as she's not an unkind person. She started off "just" in the job centre generally and this is where she ended up via what promotions were available.
I've had 3 malicious reports made, 2 by ex which is particularly disgusting as it most affects dd. 1 I suspect was a neighbour who seemed to be of the "anyone not working and on benefits should be euthanised" yet she hadn't worked herself since becoming pregnant with her first child and didn't view herself as receiving benefits (council tax rebate, tax credits and child benefit).
Unless you have access to someone's full financial info you can't possibly know how they manage to afford X y z.
The "it takes money from the genuinely needy" argument doesn't stand up under this govt. Any money they "save" goes into the pockets of their already wealthy friends who don't pay what they should in taxes far as I can see.
"Bollocks. If not a single person claimed fraudulently, my income tax would not go down. The government would use it on useless tosh instead, like ponds for their back gardens, second houses and 'incentives' for their wealthy mates." Definitely
The disproportionate resourcing assigned across benefit fraud v tax evasion v child maintenance avoidance (which often includes tax evaders who are lying to hmrc in order to avoid paying more or any child maintenance) is disgusting. Yet when was the last time you read/watched a journalistic report on an individual "normal" person being vilified for not paying child maintenance or lying to the tax authorities?
Lots of single parents have reported nrps as likely tax evaders and are often told nothing can be done ie they are ignored! I'm sure that's nothing to do with the fact most reporting are women and evaders are men 🤔
"No one gives a toss if the evader looks like them and drives a car like theirs." Exactly
Kittens - that's not been my experience. Each time those malicious reports were made my benefits were stopped immediately "pending investigation" the investigations took forever leaving me really struggling to the point of missing meals so dd could eat. And I can assure you I had done NOTHING wrong I'm pathologically honest generally and certainly wrt this.
And actually here's a question - given its acknowledged by you and more importantly the govt that MOST reports are malicious (and therefore false) WHY aren't the reports assessed for validity first? Thinking THAT would save a LOT of time and money.
And yes - I question the motives of those reporting - isn't going to make their lives any easier.