To call bullshit on this?

[Teacher12345]

DH has a friend who's brother is always in trouble.
He claims to have created 3 companys with fake details and claimed grants from the government getting himself 30k.
We started a company and took out loans in Jan to set up a leisure company that should have started trading the weekend after lockdown. Obviously that didn't happen so we applied for the grant to help us cover loan repayments etc. Have heard nothing back. DH is pissed off that this guy is getting grants for his fake companies and we are getting nothing. I think A, the government will have had alot of applications and be overloaded and B, this is guy is bullshitting!
What do you think?

Well obviously it's bs unless he could see a future.👀

Just to make sure. Are you talking about the 10k small business grant (or 25k) distributed by local governments?

It isn't that easy. Most of the grants are for companies with premises. So unless he set up 3 companies and rented three properties ensuing each company was listed as a rate payer on that property before the given date in March he wouldn't qualify.

You need to be a rate payer, or a premises that is rate exempt, and the council here are going by their rate payer records, so they know exactly who to pay. It would really tricky to fake it. I call BS.

OMG its the small 10k ones he says he has.

Its bullshit. You need to be renting/owning a business premise with a rateable value (so paying business rates to the council) to be considered eligible for the grant.

I hope not

Rather I hope it is bs

@Teacher12345 bit concerned your DH believes him tbh. You need your ratepayer number to claim that

As a general rule of thumb, any astute criminal committing fraud will not be boasting about it to their brother's mate. This leads me to think he's talking shite.

If he has done this, it's likely to bite him on the arse. Possibly years later, but not much gets past HMRC. I hope he can pay it back.

@smileyclare he is of the opinion that it will be worth the jail time apparently. This attitude isn't surprising, he is in and out pretty often tbh.

Well he can have any opinion he wants. That doesn't magically get him trading premises where he was a registered rate payer before 11th of March.

Just want 5o add
Sorry about your business. I know someone who opened, had a launch party that day and that was the last day they were allowed to open. Sucks.

OMG thanks. To be honest we have been lucky. We were due to pay rent on the building and just about managed to avoid it by a day or two. If we had gone ahead we would have lost loads of money. Plus the weather has been so amazing that our grand opening may have fallen a little flat as it is an indoor activity for kids.

Silver linings, eh. Good luck