My friend reported me for benefit fraud....

[thisismymomentwithu]

Me and my friend "Ana" have been friends for 10 years now,a couple of times I've backed away from her as she did some pretty crappy things (accused ex of hitting her to stop his access but told me it was a lie and many other things ) stupidly I always start hanging out with her and ignoring my better judgement.
I work full time but get help with UC since I split with my partner and my wage isn't great.
When my grandma passed I was left £4,500 and I put it away for when I needed anything.
I always got on well with "Ana's" friends and struck up a friendship with a couple of girls due to our kids being the same age and having similar interests.
Ana wasn't happy and we ended up falling out and our friendship was over (her choice )
After a few months my new friends stopped wanting to meet up as usual,I had a feeling it was because of Ana but didn't want to ask them.
In the mean time I received a letter for a compliance interview.
Attending this interview (via phone call ) I was informed someone reported me for having my ex living with me and working a cash in hand job (neither are true ) and they told me they received a Anon tip off and told me the date (the same day Ana blocked me on everything)
It was all sorted out and no action taken as they realised it wasn't true.
Fast forward two months later and speaking via text to one of my new friends and she kept saying
"Well the people who fleece the system will be getting found out soon and in trouble"
"Has your ex moved back in? Thought I seen him leaving home one morning"
Then she said something about my benefit claim that she must have been told by "Ana "
Lightbulb moment ...it was deffo Ana but my other friends knew and believed her.
I've stopped speaking with everyone now but I'm gutted.

Why wasn't she satisfied with falsely reporting me ..why did she also tell our mutual friends I was doing something she knew I wasn't?
I'm so embarrassed
My kids are in these girls classes at school

Then who do you think Working Tax Credits are for? (the clue is in the name)
Child benefits?
Universal Credit top-ups?

It may shock you, but millions of low-paid working people have to depend on benefit top-ups, because the minimum wage legislation is not fit for purpose, or the pay enough to live on.

This. If you’re claiming benefit and not doing anything wrong you have nothing to fear, but keep your business private because, as you have found out the hard way, people can be nasty when you least expect it.

A friend of mine was claiming income related ESA - I have a background in benefits advice and when she asked me if she should now make a claim for UC instead, I advised her that at some point the DWP would invite her to migrate to UC with transitional protection so that existing benefit rates would be preserved. If she claimed UC early she wouldn’t qualify for transitional protection and would lose the severe disability premium paid with her ESA, as it does not exist on UC. She discussed it with another friend who assured her that this wasn’t true and made a claim for UC for her, without her knowledge. The first she knew was when the DWP contacted her to say the claim was going through. She had no right of appeal and received no money for five weeks while the claim was sorted out - she also lost the £37 per week SDA she had previously been entitled to. Some people have a funny idea of friendship.

If you have no experience of the benefit system, why are you throwing around 'information' that is entirely wrong?

I've never claimed benefits either, because I've been relatively fortunate in life. I can't imagine for a minute why anyone like me would either offer advice or thinly veiled criticism to someone whose circumstances and rights I know nothing of.

It's for people on low incomes. Many of whom are in work.

The government recognises that a small amount of savings is reasonable even when your income is low. Car breaks down, boiler blows up, washing machine conks, etc etc. If people were not allowed to have a penny in savings then those people would turn to loan sharks or ridiculously high interest loans or catalogues, making their lives even harder.

At least you know now, which is good.

And it wasn't just the incorrect information was it? It was the assumption that she'd got this money and hidden it.

Like I said, the benefits system is not something that I've had to deal with and I don't know anyone that has any of these benefits.
I'm not going to research it as it has nothing to do with me.
I was worried for the OP but seeing as it isn't relevant then that's that settled.

a couple of times I've backed away from her as she did some pretty crappy things (accused ex of hitting her to stop his access but told me it was a lie and many other things ) stupidly I always start hanging out with her and ignoring my better judgement.

This is such an evil thing for her to have done. Their poor kids. Please don't be friends with people who do such awful things.

If she can do that to the father of her child, she's hardly a good candidate as a friend is she?

It's sad you and others didn't stick up for her ex in order to not risk him losing access to his children if what she was saying was a lie 😞

OP, you come across as such a pushover.

Why are you still referring to her as a friend?

You are aware all these people cut you off previously and stopped associating with you. Why are you still texting them? Why, after they make bitchy comments about you about benefit fraud, are you there justifying yourself instead of ignoring them or putting them in their place?

why are you surprised this happened when she told you she did something similar to her ex? Like YOU should have cut her off at that point, not the other way around. You made the decision to associate with someone with a shit character/no morals, you knew what she was like so you can’t act surprised for her behaving like she normally does

You need to just block all these women and move on with your life. You don’t need to tell people that you claim benefits or about your finances or living arrangements or inheritance etc. you need to be a better judge of character and see red flags in any relationship inc friends

I would set these 'friends' straight and then probably fuck them off as honestly who needs enemies with friends like that. I'd also probably try and get petty revenge on Ana by making something up about her too. 😂

Also your worry shouldn’t be about your kids vs her kids at school. You need to focus on raising your kids properly and teaching them not everyone will like them and how to carry themselves etc. your kids will make other friends and in time won’t care about what their parents think about people they go to school with. You need to teach them about what is right vs wrong. Ultimately if you cut these weird women out from the start instead of trying to besties, you wouldn’t be in this situation now as they wouldn’t have made you their target. You seem like a people pleaser

If you lie with dogs you get fleas.

There is nothing to be gained by engaging with these women, and everything to be lost.

Distance yourself from them. Don’t give them the satisfaction of knowing the outcome of their malicious report. It’ll be driving them crazy.

Why are so many women so horrible?

Try to forget about it OP. Hopefully you have some ways to meet some new friends

Are you on a group chat? I’d have to tell them the truth, it’s so unfair what she’s done.

I'd also probably try and get petty revenge on Ana by making something up about her too.

OP doesn't even need to make something up - what Ana did is bad enough.

I mentioned the inheritance because I booked a weekend away and that's how I could afford it ..not fleecing the system as she accused me of.

Useful piece of information for an OP.

I guess my "friends" formed their own opinion of me from what Ana told them.
The fact they were willing to believe her without even letting me have a say ...proves what they thought of me.

Yes, what she did was horrible.
You've learned your lesson never to share info with people like that.
Never disclose any financial information about yourself. Income, on benefits, inheritances, struggles, health, etc.

There's a certain type of woman usually low income or on benefits who are perpetually bored and always are involved in or create drama. Avoid those types.

just forget it. it's not worth wasting any more of your attention on this.
keep away from such people.
keep to yourself more.
and definitely do not tell other people your business.

Madasawethen, your second paragraph is quite sweeping and insulting.
many people on low income are not a bit like that.
i'm not.

Probably because there was little satisfaction for her otherwise.
You’d done nothing wrong so no nothing would happen.
She tells mutual friends you’ve “done wrong” then there’s gossip, nudging, asking you questions —- gives her satisfaction.
Nasty woman.

I can see why you're saying this, but what about when these mums gossip about you to the other mums at school who don't even know you. You could end up with people not wanting their kid to invite yours round because they're judging you. At least if you tell your side of the story they're much less likely to pass on the gossip because even if they don't believe you they won't be so sure.

Savings threshold for UC is £6000 - OP’s inheritance is £4,500 so well under the threshold unless it takes any other savings over it, so would need to be reported. Even then, only savings over the £6000 is counted.

The savings threshold for UC is £6000, OP’s inheritance is only £4500 so does not need to be reported unless it takes any other savings over the threshold.

Any sort of savings needs reported. Atleast that’s what I was told when I had savings of 5k. I’m well aware of the threshold but in most cases the savings can be counted .

For clarity. Savings or capital of £16,000 or more disqualifies you from Universal Credit. For savings/capital of between £6,000 and £16,000, the first £6,000 is ignored. The rest is treated as if it gives you a monthly income of £4.35 for each £250, or part of £250.