To ask if you would report benefit fraud?

[namechanged102]

Name changed.

Me and DP have a friend who recently reconciled with his ex. She was a single parent who hasn't worked because she had her first DC young.

Said friend does earn and has moved in with her, however she is still claiming as a single parent and pretty much everything is paid for - rent, council tax reduction etc.

They seem to be living such a comfortable lifestyle, they recently got a new car and have had numerous staycations. I feel like it isn't any of my business what they get up to, but me and DH work full time and still can't afford anywhere near the lifestyle that they lead. It just seems a bit shit.

AIBU?

Why don't you tell her it is wrong/illegal, and she has a month to put it right or you'll report her? Or stop being friends with her, if she has such poor morals?

@MsWonderful oh don't be so stupid and high and mighty. It's not being a snitch to report someone committing a crime.

All the rubbish about they will get caught eventually. They quite likely will not.

Also don't compare it to Amazon etc. Of course they are in the wrong too but that doesn't mean benefit cheats should be able to get away with it

I wonder how many women are reported and investigated for benefit fraud as opposed to men?

Men avoiding paying child support and getting away with it is the reason a lot of women with DC end up relying on benefit payments in the first place.

That's the political scandal here, and the public fiscal failure.

Well said JLC

@JamieLeeCurtains
Absolutely

No.
The benefit system is depriving many many people of money.
I have no interest in helping it to victimise someone else.

Rubyupbeat
Yes, I would report tax evasion and cash in hand, it disgusts me all equally.

Newsflash; lot's of self employed people accept cash in hand, if that's what works for the customer, give receipts and write it up on their accounts to HMRC!
I'm one of them, and also one of those who is 'entitled' to benefits and food bank hand outs instead, and doesn't claim them.

Just for the education of those who don’t understand it, tax avoidance is legal, benefit fraud isn’t.

No. Likely reason is that she will end up being moved over to UC if she stops claiming and restarts if he leaves due to them only recently reconciling, and she will be worse off as many are on the new system. This happened to me and I wish I'd not let him move in and carried on claiming the legacy benefits for as long as I could. One person getting them despite not technically being entitled to them doesn't deprive anyone else of them nor cost tax payers any more. If someone else's finances are all you have to worry about then you can't be struggling that much. You're right, it's not your business.

Yes I would like to think I'd report.

There's no point in sympathising with someone who needs benefits but can't get them, if we don't try to stop people stealing them.

Those two things are not connected.

People have trouble getting benefits because of deliberate incompetence by the DWP.

If the system was administered fairly, and I believed the woman would easily be able to claim benefit if that became necessary again, then I might think about doing something.

As it isn't, I wouldn't.

I also would report it, there is little in the pot as it is

Blimey with friends like you who needs enemies grassing on your own friend , most women know that most men are unpredictable she could be single again at anytime. She /they will get caught by their own carelessness they don`t need your help stay out of it

I couldn’t do it, and I’m what I’m sure some MNers would call ‘frothing right wing’.

Especially if there are children that would suffer the consequences.

When tax dodgers, or evaders, or whatever fancy word they use to cover it up, are costing so so much more than the pittance of benefit fraud (and the government openly do it themselves) I could not in good conscience launch a petty vendettta on a poor family.

You are jealous, that is the problem here. Either commit fraud yourself (and see how easy it is to live with the terror and insecurity of being caught) or better your own life.

I wouldn't, particularly at a point like this. Our benefits system isn't the life of luxury some on here assume.

Benefit fraud doesn't do even a tenth as much harm to the economy as tax fraud and tax evasion and until the Government and tv shows put half as much effort into making us hate tax dodgers as they do trying to make us despise benefit cheats, I will not be grassing anyone up.

Just for the education of those who don’t understand it, tax avoidance is legal, benefit fraud isn’t.

Gosh, wonder why that is.

Almost like the rich made the laws...

As an aside, I'm sure I read somewhere recently that a company co-owned by that oily Victorian shithole Jacob Rees-Mogg is registered in a tax haven so as to avoid taxes in the UK. There should be an absolute ban on any UK politician from any side of the fence benefitting from any kind of tax avoidance scheme whilst holding office. It goes against any kind of social principle and they should be publicly shamed for it on Channel 4 the way that benefit cheats are.

@Badbanana

Just for the education of those who don’t understand it, tax avoidance is legal, benefit fraud isn’t.

Gosh, wonder why that is.

Almost like the rich made the laws...

Ah so we should only follow the ones we like. Got it, that’s where most of us have been going wrong.

Ah so we should only follow the ones we like. Got it, that’s where most of us have been going wrong.

I’m not averse to a bit of modern Robin Hoodery. Even if that’s just turning a blind eye to the poor trying to make their situation just a little more liveable.

Because I have more than half a brain cell, and can see quite clearly what is taking chunks of money from the collective pot, and it is not benefit fraud.

Just for the education of those who don’t understand it, tax avoidance is legal, benefit fraud isn’t.

And? There are a great many things which are legal but which remain morally corrupt and until you can honestly say we have politicians who live and behave in morally-sound ways I will not be grassing up Sandra down the road for having a boyfriend stop over more than two nights a week. It's playing into the hands of those who make the laws and the loopholes.

No

that oily Victorian shithole Jacob Rees-Mogg

Ah so we should only follow the ones we like. Got it, that’s where most of us have been going wrong.

The irony of this statement after the "limited and specific way" in which our own Government currently plans to break it's own law!

I don't break laws. I believe strongly that the law and justice system are a backbone of a civilised society. But when the poorest in any given society are hit hardest by laws made by the richest, I don't think it's picking which laws to abide by. It's simply accepting that the difference between illegal and entrepreneur when it comes to fraud appears to be linked to having a couple of million in the bank.

I would report in the same way I would any crime. You shouldn't decide to have principles just because you are jealous though. You should report because it is a crime and thus should report all crimes you're aware of to be honest if you think it is in the public interest.

So would the degree of benefit fraud make any difference to those who would not report?

I knew someone who was claiming benefits as she said she could not work due to health problems. She claimed she could barely walk and got disability benefits.

In fact she had a business buying furniture cheaply and then re-selling it. She would buy wardrobes and manage to get them into her car on her own and even sometimes up on the car roof.

She bought a holiday home in Portugal during the years she was claiming, went on holiday to Australia at least once a year for a month at a time and generally had a pretty good life.

I reported her and do not feel the slightest bit guilty about it