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Original poster

House deposit saved up while cheating benefits

247 replies

PaulinesPenStash · 11/07/2019 14:00

Firstly I want to say I am as left wing as they come, a card carrying member of the Labour Party, and i am in full favour of benefits for everyone that needs them.

But this is an absolute piss take ...🤦🏻‍♀️ I have just found out that someone I am close to, her partner (and father of her children) has been claiming to live at his mums for about 5 years. he's been working the whole time while living with her rent free and living off her income, and a bit of his. They've saved up enough for a house deposit as he's saved most of his earnings and they've just had an offer accepted on a house

I don't want to go in to how I know in case it's in any way outing, because let me be clear I would not want to grass the person up despite how disgusting i find it

I am just very shocked and really want to tell someone but I can't so I'm posting it on here to kind of get it off my chest

The deposit amount is £50,000 btw 🤦🏻‍♀️

(The one positive is it will free up a council house !)

OP posts:
Fleabag123 · 11/07/2019 18:45

I haven’t RTFT but please do report.
There are ways of doing it anonymously.

Councils take benefit fraud seriously and can arrange surprise visits to the property to look for proof he’s residing there.
I would also think it would be picked up during mortgage vetting process but appreciate I may have missed posts about this

bellinisurge · 11/07/2019 18:57

@Kero123 , you do realise they do surveillance, don't you?

koolaider · 11/07/2019 19:12

If he then rents this house out to his partner, will you report it then OP?

lockedonsie · 11/07/2019 19:39

I wouldn't report it, purely because they have children.

Sorry, but they could both potentially go to prison. And then what? Children left without a mum or dad. Yes what they're doing is sincerely so very wrong but I'd rather turn a blind eye than see children without a mum/dad Confused

Crankybitch · 11/07/2019 19:45

Surely a lot of people in prison have children - should we not report anyone who has committed a crime if they have children?

Applejack5 · 11/07/2019 19:59

I think anyone who thinks this is OK must not be paying tax. Why would you be OK with your taxes going to random people who don't actually need it, just so they can stash away their earnings?

I would definitely report it. They've fraudulently claimed a huge amount of money and why should they be allowed to get away with that?

How is it fair on everyone else who works hard to save a deposit or even just to live day to day?

Since when is it OK to commit a crime so you can get on the housing ladder?

WhatWouldTheNeighboursSay · 11/07/2019 20:03

*Weebitawks

Tbh, this doesn't annoy me. Especially with how messed up the benefit system is at the moment. While obviously commuting fraud is terrible, they've gotten themselves into a better position and have broken fee from being reliant on benefits. They won't be claiming anymore.*

Or think, hey we got away with that.
And carry on.
If no-one does anything, and continually pretends it's all perfectly ok, where is the incentive to stop?

WhatWouldTheNeighboursSay · 11/07/2019 20:05

*lockedonsie

I wouldn't report it, purely because they have children.

Sorry, but they could both potentially go to prison. And then what? Children left without a mum or dad. Yes what they're doing is sincerely so very wrong but I'd rather turn a blind eye than see children without a mum/dad *

If she claimed as a single parent, his name isn't on any of the documentation. She is the one they go after.

PotatoesDieInHotCars · 11/07/2019 20:05

Would he even get in trouble if it is her who is claiming benefits as a single parent?

He has £50k in savings. She'd get done for it.

Original poster
PaulinesPenStash · 11/07/2019 20:15

@PotatoesDieInHotCars

No he wouldn't, she's the one claiming, she'd get all the shit

OP posts:
IamtheOA · 11/07/2019 20:17

I wouldn't report, but I couldn't be friends with them

lockedonsie · 11/07/2019 21:27

Surely a lot of people in prison have children - should we not report anyone who has committed a crime if they have children?

Obviously there are, but this isn't like robbing someone and emotionally impacting them in the process, or directly taking money from someone and them being worse off because of it.

Sure it's a bad thing to do and really not the type of person I'd share a friendship with anymore, but really, send someone to prison when they have a child for that? No.

Earlywalker · 11/07/2019 21:37

Happens a lot. It’s the easiest way to defraud the system. The only way you’ll get caught is if someone reports you.

For someone to know to report you, they’d have to know you’re claiming as a lone parent - how many people would admit this to someone they didn’t trust implacably? People are naive if they really think it ‘doesn’t happen often’.

But yes, it’s wrong. You should report. If you saw them steal £50k from the NHS’s bank account would you report them?

GrabbyGertie · 11/07/2019 22:00

I can't report it, it will really negatively affect the children, they're innocent

Sorry but I don't agree with this way of thinking. Why do you think her children are more important than other people's.

GrabbyGertie · 11/07/2019 22:01

Chances of her going to prison are very small

bellinisurge · 11/07/2019 22:22

More fool her if she's the o e that would get all the shit. She's an adult. She must know it's illegal to lie about your status. She's the one putting her kids welfare at risk.

EnthusiasmIsDisturbed · 11/07/2019 22:29

Sadly too many people think the benefit system is there to use as they pleased not to be used when needed

I think there is a lot of benefit fraud of course some will claim there isn’t

And then there are those who have no intention of ever working or working full time why should they when they live comfortably on benefits

I was better off as a student than working full time what a fucking joke the system is and then the people who need often are struggling those that choose the half and half life are not

lboogy · 12/07/2019 00:02

I think anyone who thinks this is OK must not be paying tax. Why would you be OK with your taxes going to random people who don't actually need it, just so they can stash away their earnings?

Rubbish. And very presumptive. I don't care about benefit fraud as much as I care about tax havens and tax avoidance. Let's start there before we go after poor people ( albeit in this case not so poor).

It's funny people are more outraged because of the proximity to the fraud rather than fraud that happens in exotic places they can't conceive.

Applejack5 · 12/07/2019 00:23

They're not poor people, they didn't need the benefit money and they obtained it fraudulently. I have no problem with my taxes going towards benefits for people who actually need them to live.

Are you OK with your taxes going to people claiming it illegally so they can buy a house?

Also, you can be outraged by more than one type of fraud at the same time... this topic just happens to be benefit fraud.

GrabbyGertie · 12/07/2019 00:28

It's funny people are more outraged because of the proximity to the fraud rather than fraud that happens in exotic places they can't conceive

I don't think this is true. Posters are being outraged about the situation described in the OP because that's what the thread is about but If the thread was about fraud in exotic places I bet they would be just as outraged

Scattyhattie · 12/07/2019 00:32

While i don't agree with the fraud i think the way benefits work when single & become part of a couple can leave them open to abuse as end up with little of own money to be independent & working partner with majority.

It wouldn't surprise me if lady's partner gets house in his name only & she ends up with even less future security than had with own council house for taking all risk with this benefit fraud.

Alicesweewonders · 12/07/2019 00:34

This type of benefit cheating is rife where I live, I know friends & family members who do this ( claim 'single mother' but have their partners living there) it's very openly talked about. My cousin got engaged recently, when I asked about wedding plans she said she ain't getting married cos she'd lose her house n benefits .

I got told I was mad for getting married myself as I'd 'get nothing' - she wasn't wrong 😒

Omzlas · 12/07/2019 00:43

If you aren't going to report her, shame on you OP. You're just as complicit as her in that case.

Let's hope you never have to jump through hoops to claim benefits because scum like this make it harder for genuine claimants to actually get what they're entitled to.

Just out of interest, if she gets caught anyway, don't you think the children will be affected then...?

reesewithoutaspoon · 12/07/2019 01:13

Its the most common form of benefit fraud where I live, its endemic. In fact you're seen as stupid if you chose to declare and live as a couple if unmarried. I know families where dad wasnt even put on the birth certificate because you used to be able to claim a little extra for your first child if you were a single parent.

bellinisurge · 12/07/2019 06:29

Glad to hear my tax money is funding people's lifestyle choices. ConfusedI hoped it was isolated pockets of fraud. Wonder how those people voted in the referendum. Hope they don't expect any sympathy from me when our economy goes to shit.

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