To risk everything for beliefs

[Silentlyseething1]

I’ve name changed for this as it could be outing but I am getting more and more annoyed by people abusing the system and the fact that I know a whole group of people who are committing benefit & council tax fraud. The poorer families are all due to get support and all these people I know are due to get some help too but then they are jetting off on holiday abroad etc. because they don’t declare their husbands live there etc.

I just sit and silently judge them when I talk to them as me and my other half do everything by the book and we don’t claim UC or anything even though we probably could. I probably know about 12 people who are committing one or the other type of fraud and most are committing both.

it just makes my blood boil as I work hard for my money, should I report them all and risk making my own life difficult or not?

12 separate people have admitted to you that they are committing benefit fraud?!

It is extremely common yes. I wonder if there'll be a crackdown.

12 separate people have not admitted it to me but I know on a professional level their circumstances and what they are claiming and reporting to authorities

Report them

In the grand scheme of things these people are still pretty poor. The small amounts of cash they're claiming are absolutely nothing compared to the corruption and tax avoidance amongst billionaires. I just can't get worked up about it and would stay well out of it.

Mumsnet is weird about reporting criminal benefit fraud. Don't understand why. If you're sure of your facts then I believe the best thing is to report them

You have a morale obligation to the rest of society to report them

Definitely sure of my facts and some even have their own businesses so business tax evasion is probably another one to be noted as it is all cash in hand

What do you run the risk of losing?

When you say you know this because of your profession, what do you mean? Are you their accountant/landlord/social worker?

Surely if you know on a 'professional level' then you a responsibility to report this.

How do you know "on a professional level" unless you (unauthorised) looked at their confidential benefit aware records?

People are vile. It's not fair on the rest of us. I don't care if awful billionaires do it also, noone shoould be doing it.

I can’t look at their council records and claims directly, it’s not professional in that sense. That would mean I work for the council or something which I don’t. I’m not an accountant or a social worker.

I can’t go into too much detail but all I want to know is how many people would report benefit fraud, UC fraud and council tax fraud if you knew people were living completely different lives to what they claim and they are supposed to be getting the most amount of support later this year from the government.

No, mind your own business.

I'd do it. but why are you not claiming what you are entitled to....also be careful that the information you have is not covered under confidentiality or data protection.

If I knew for certain they were doing it I'd report. This stuff gives me rht rage.

Eh I couldn't be arsed tbh, I personally could never commit benefit fraud because I'm absolutely shit at lying and tend to

If it's cash in hand business it's hard to prove, if they are claiming their dp lives elsewhere I know someone who was caught

But how do you know for certain. I mean we all know it goes on but where is the proof?

*be one of those people who never gets away with even the slightest infraction. Some men people just seem to glide through life Teflon coated. These types if you tangle with them always seem to get the better end of the stick. It is what it is.

Reporting people for benefit fraud is not done for the good of society, usually malice or jealousy. Just fucking get on with your life fgs.

Crabs in a bucket mentality

I wouldn't report someone no.

I understand that people do though and that's up to them

@Featuredcreature Jealousy really? It’s not because I’m jealous at all. I work and my partner work very hard for our money and we pay all our taxes and it seems like such a disservice to our country and our struggling families who are genuine to stand by and watch whilst they play the system for all it’s worth.

single persons council tax, full HB or UC for rent and solely claiming that whilst the other person goes out to work for cash in hand jobs not paying any kind of income tax or NI and they get every type of support going even for normal household expenses.

I work in a role where benefit fraud is reported to me on a daily basis and honestly of out of 100s of reports 1 or 2 are correct.
It is usually jealousy/envy/hate that drive these reports and the amount of times I have heard "oh but I know all of their income and financial goings on" when actually all they know is that they had 2 holidays this year and have a new phone.

When the millions and millions of pounds well known companies get away with not paying is taken as seriously as a few thousand from already poor people I will agree that reporting benefit fraud is a public responsibility.

@CrossStichQueen what if someone knew that there are benefit claims in sole names but they could prove the claims should be joint especially where UC is involved as it doesn’t matter if another adult is responsible for the property if a couple they have to claim together even if one (usually males) doesn’t claim anything.