Benefits fraud- what is the general feeling about it?

[Hadtoask]

I have changed my name and I’m posting with trepidation! I really am aware that I might sound heartless and mean. I will not be reporting this person but Im just interested to hear how other people feel about this. People may be very horrible to me and in this case I won’t be back! Sorry but not brave enough for an onslaught.

I won’t do the dreaded drip feed but I will have to be vague about a few details because I wouldn’t want the family identified.

So- a family I know had all their children removed from their care by the courts some years ago. They were a very large family. It is a permanent situation and the children will not be returning to their birth parents.

Despite many years passing the parents are still receiving benefits and tax credits for all of the children.

On the one hand I feel it’s really sloppy administration and makes a mockery of the benefits system. The tax payers are paying a lot of money in support for this family who are all in foster care. As well as supporting the parents who are on benefits. And now it’s come to light that there are tax credits paid to the parents for all of the children too.

I also feel that in some ways it’s probably this money that is holding their mother back from working. I feel she would really benefit from the structure and satisfaction of working. She has always claimed benefits and has never really stood on her own feet. She’s 40 ish.

On the other hand I feel that having lost her children she is very needy and this money will be very important to her. I can’t begrudge her anything because I feel extremely sorry for her.

I would not report this family but I definitely feel conflicted. I wonder how often this sort of thing goes on whilst there are people struggling to claim what they need.

Apologies if I sound really awful and mean. I’m just surprised at this situation and the money is not going to good use. I know this but cannot give details for risk of identifying them.

I never received any benefits as a foster mum, I was paid and that was it

@inliverpool1 - Seriously? Wow, I’m shocked.
It sounds as if a lot of children have been removed, and in some cases the parents can claim all the benefits, while social services pay for foster placements for the kids?
Gobsmacked.
It’s like rewarding feckless idiots who neglect/abuse their kids.

If they are found guilty of benefit fraud, including admitting it if they are interviews under caution, they would have to pay it back - no question. They may also be prosecuted and have a fine to pay. The recovery by deductions from other benefits to which they may still be entitled (eg Universal Credit) would be hefty and likely leave them in financial difficulties for years or even decades depending on how big the overpayment was

Tell the Child Benefit Office straight away if your child:

starts paid work for 24 hours a week or more
will live away from you for either 8 weeks in a row or more than 56 days in a 16-week period
will go abroad permanently or for more than 12 weeks
moves to or from Northern Ireland
will be in hospital or residential care for more than 12 weeks

@inliverpool1 you cannot claim CB while your child is not living with you....returning from FC a new claim would have to be made

Oh how I love the sound of my alarm clock shrieking down my earhole at daft o clock to drag my arse out of my comfy warm bed and go out in all weathers to work.
It gives me a warm glow to think I'm toiling away to pay my taxes to enable the benefits fraudsters to stay in their warm comfy beds, secure and happy in the knowledge that I'm paying for the home to house them.

Said no one ever!!!!!!
Benefit fraudsters are thieves. They steal from hard working tax payers.

I can't believe some of you saying you feel sorry for them and to not report.

I agree it's sad their kids got taken away and that having to pay back money they have claimed illegally will be difficult for them. However, they made this situation for themselves. It's hard for criminals to go to prison, I'm sure they're sad but that's the reality for them due to their actions. These people should face up to their decisions too.

Tax credits is different from CB and you can claim one without the other. I’ve known people do it for many many years and it’s not fraud.

• It would depend. Why did this couple have all their children removed?

-Is it due to drugs/ alcohol?

• TBH, I wouldn’t feel sorry for the mother much, I would feel sorry for the children in all this. You have to be an awful parent to have your kids removed.

More benefits go unclaimed by people who are entitled to them than are lost through benefit fraud. Loads of people are not claiming money they are entitled to or being refused claims because the system is so flawed and impenetrable.

Also, @LakieLady fraudulent benefit debt cannot be written off by a DRO or bankruptcy.

More benefits go unclaimed by people who are entitled to them than are lost through benefit fraud. Loads of people are not claiming money they are entitled to or being refused claims because the system is so flawed and impenetrable.

This pretends that both situations shouldn't be dealt with, it also leans onto why the labour has suffered their biggest defeat in living memory, some people don't want to become reliant on the state.

It is almost like you think that your comment of trying to brush of the situation has worked the past 15 years, and ignores it built up during new labour years, why the benefit cap was introduced and why UC has cross party support.

Pulling out tired memes is not highlighting how others are wrong, if we frame it into the brexit scenario it shows how many mental hoops you will need to jump through to justify it.

The general feeling about benefit fraud on Mumsnet is completely different to that in real life. Many posters react with “keep your beak out” and similar when stories about those stealing from the taxpayer come up. I don’t know anyone in real life who is happy going out to work and paying tax, only for others to cheat the system!

It's a lot more common than the do voiders here would think....... I can see why some would be tempted and wouldn't judge some poor sod on a zero hour contract from doing it to give their kids some sort of quality of life.

I judge those who do it for pure greed though........although I am rather amused at a friends family member who had been fiddling the system (( claiming as a single parent )) for well over 10 years. To the extent where she had father unknown put on the DC's birth certificate.

He's on 60k plus a year and just didn't want to pay their way. Now he's finally decided to go legit and get a mortgage at the age of 43 because he's worried about having no security in his old age he's fucked. He has no credit history and he's claimed to live at his mum's all these years so he can't get a bloody mortgage 😂😂😂

I cant understand how HMRC haven't worked it out.
Before my youngest had even turned 16 i got a letter saying I had to provide proof that she would be remaining in full time education in order to carry on claiming child tax credits.

reckless we had the same and it was just done over the phone, they just asked what course my DS will be doing.

I remember reading about a case similar to this year's ago, she'd had 4 DC. One was removed at birth and was claiming benefits for all of them. She did get caught and was jailed if I remember rightly.

The foster parents will be claiming child benefit. The DWP doesn't pay it to two people

Foster Carers don't claim CB for children in their care. CB is included in the Fostering Allowance.

OP if you suspect benefit fraud please report

The general feeling about benefit fraud on Mumsnet is completely different to that in real life.

Mumsnet being out of touch politically and generally ridiculed on any serious political forum has been a thing since before 2008, some MN posters will revert to IDPOL as it being because its mainly us women posting but it's on par to how the general tone of how MNers look down on NM users.

HMRC are continually updating their database, and your "friends" when found out, could be looking at a custodial sentence for benefit fraud.

I couldn't sleep at night of I was on that position.

I don't really give a shit is how I feel about it. CBA'd to dob someone in about it, no, not that I'd know because I don't give a shit about other peoples' finances.

If I did it I know I would not be able to sleep at night, but that doesn't mean I'd lose any sleep over anybody else doing it. I feel like there are much bigger fish to fry, and that people who are living dishonestly are usually very unhappy people and I'd rather not kick people when they are down.

It’s stealing, from you, me and every other tax payer. Report them

I wouldn't give a second's thought to how it would affect them and would report them with zero hesitation.

It's a crime.
It's not their money.

I kinda feel in a general sense that I can't get worked up about it. It's a tiny part of the system.

Does it piss me off that people take advantage? Yes. I work hard and pay a lot of tax, BUT I also can't get myself worked up into mouth foaming rage about it like some because there are far far BIGGER problems with the system which drain far more money from it.

What annoys me more is this tiny % of people ruin it for the people who need it and now have to jump through ridiculous hoops to get it.

Recent figures:

For 2018-19 the government's benefit fraud figure was £2.3bn (4.3%) for benefits administered by the Department of Work and Pensions.[3] The tax credit system, administered by HRMC, has combined error and fraud figures (net over-payment) for 2015-16 of £1.35 billion or 4.8% of finalised tax credit entitlement. HRMC claim that "the vast majority of organised fraud claims are stopped quickly and awards in payment are terminated."[4]

There is just not enough money to go round. Its stealing. There there are not enough hospital beds, hospital equipment, nurses, police, mental health services etc etc...report if it's true. The money needs to be spent on people who need it.

On Mumsnet, benefit fraud is totally ok and you should never report it.

Report these cockroaches please.

Does it piss me off that people take advantage? Yes. I work hard and pay a lot of tax, BUT I also can't get myself worked up into mouth foaming rage about it like some because there are far far BIGGER problems with the system which drain far more money from it.

Of course, this is like watching a thief steal your elderly neighbour's car, and not report it because yeah there are far far bigger problems. If we all close our eyes to the 'small ones' as you said, life would be great. Such idiotic comment.