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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Possible benefit fraud and cms

89 replies

Lalala1 · 01/10/2022 21:02

Posted here for traffic!

I know benefit fraud threads have been done quite frequently some think report some say mind your own business anyway

I'm unsure wether to report this or not as don't know for certain just wanted others views

So not to drip feed this is about my children's father and wife it's not about me being bitter more the principle so ex doesn't see kids at all his choice but contacts me sporadically I went through cms even though I knew he was on universal credit and it would be £7 a week like I said principle he still didn't pay or waited till I txt him and then pay late so he was put on collect and pay it got took from his UC so one month a payment never came so I contacted cms to be told he's not on UC anymore they will investigate to find out why and if he's working that was fine. He then contacted me and I mentioned payments stopped he said aw he messed up told up he was working self employed when he wasn't to get them off his back with interviews and it backfired so his UC claim was stopped Idiot! Anyway I'm confused as far as I'm aware it should have been a joint claim(I'm not interested in her finances) so my question is if it's a joint claim his if wouldn't have been stopped? which now makes me think they were both claiming separately what do people think? He's definitely not claiming anymore and definitely not working so as far as cms are concerned he's got no income yet rents, drives a car as another child living with them so can a married couple claim separately or can he be kicked off the claim alone? Hope that makes sense

I have no worries reporting him for benefit fraud but only if I'm 100% sure

OP posts:
JessesMum777888 · 02/10/2022 15:22

Lalala1 · 02/10/2022 15:16

What do u mean?

Yes it's £7 a week as he was on benefits but it could have been £1 a week or £100 a week and it still would be about him and our children he should be providing for them or looking for work to provide for them but if he's been committing benefit fraud then he's had no incentive to make an effort to get a job as financially he hasn't had to

Show quote history

Absolutely he should be.
But he’s not.
and you are trying to force him to be something he’s not ie a decent supportive father.

Smileeriley · 02/10/2022 15:38

It's sickening that these deadbeats don't pay isn't it op.

Original poster
Lalala1 · 02/10/2022 15:41

@JessesMum777888

I'm not trying to force him to do anything your making it out I'm thinking of reporting him for a financial gain on our part I've said it before and I'll say it again it's pure principle!

Why should it be fine for him to be committing benefit fraud while not providing for our children or only being made to provide £7 a week and the reason for that is solely because he's been committing fraud.

Like I said I came here because I wasn't 100% sure if the situation sounded suspicious and wanted to see what others though you have turned it into me trying to force a man to be a decent human being and father and you couldn't be farther from the truth I know who he is and what he is I know u can't make someone step up I've done it on my own for years but that doesn't mean he should get away benefit fraud

OP posts:
Original poster
Lalala1 · 02/10/2022 15:43

Smileeriley · 02/10/2022 15:38

It's sickening that these deadbeats don't pay isn't it op.

Yeah it is I work full time struggle to raise them on my own and he is getting away with only paying £7 a week or now not paying anything and the only reason he's getting away with it is because he's been committing benefit fraud that's what's getting to me

OP posts:
Redqueenheart · 02/10/2022 15:45

What are you trying to achieve exactly?

Revenge? messing up your kids' father life?

Is that what you want?

I could understand if it was a case of you having found out he was not declaring all his income and therefore shortchanging your kids by not paying enough child maintenance but it seems obvious he has no money to give you and his partner is the one who brings in an income and she has no needs to claim benefits.

You are just coming across as desperate to cause both of them trouble.

Move on and focus on your kids. If he is not working then you have to be the one to provide for those kids. That should be your priority.

Givenuptotally · 02/10/2022 15:47

Have you got nothing better to do? Get a life

and this is precisely why thousands of children receive £0 support from one of their parents (usually the father) for year after year. If someone is attempting to abuse the system to avoid supporting their children, we absolutely need to be condoning it. Not pretending the person doing the questioning is out of line for expecting their co-parent to make a financial contribution to the upbringing of joint children. It is depressing and sadly, entirely normalised.

Givenuptotally · 02/10/2022 15:48

*not be condoning it. What a slip!

NeverDropYourMooncup · 02/10/2022 15:51

Lalala1 · 02/10/2022 14:49

@NeverDropYourMooncup

This isn't about her it's about him and our children

By making it impossible for your children to benefit at all? £7 may not have been much, maybe it should have been more, but if you take those steps, you're potentially ensuring that not one penny more comes to your children. Up to three year's sanction, criminal offence including a fine or even imprisonment, penalties, interest and full repayment, plus lower earning capacity for both of them, which means less money to pay maintenance throughout your kids' childhood.

You're talking about revenge there, for him not giving you more money and now not giving you any because he has no income to assess. Revenge that will harm his children - all of them, yours included - first and foremost IF he was actually committing fraud and he isn't just making an excuse because the actual reason he's no longer in receipt of UC is that his wife has increased her hours/salary significantly and he didn't want you to know her financial details.

Zebedee55 · 02/10/2022 15:54

Get on with your life. Accept he's a shit father. It's not her job to support your children, so there's nothing to be gained by you.

He may well have been conning the DWP, but (having worked for them), your report won't come at the top of any fraud file.

Original poster
Lalala1 · 02/10/2022 16:08

Redqueenheart · 02/10/2022 15:45

What are you trying to achieve exactly?

Revenge? messing up your kids' father life?

Is that what you want?

I could understand if it was a case of you having found out he was not declaring all his income and therefore shortchanging your kids by not paying enough child maintenance but it seems obvious he has no money to give you and his partner is the one who brings in an income and she has no needs to claim benefits.

You are just coming across as desperate to cause both of them trouble.

Move on and focus on your kids. If he is not working then you have to be the one to provide for those kids. That should be your priority.

If I had put this post up as just someone I knew and not the father of my children would I be getting the same responses?

He has spent the past few years telling me he's been looking for work trying his best and as soon as he finds work then he will provide "properly" his words and all the while he's not been doing that solely because he doesn't financially need to work as he and/or they have been claiming separately

OP posts:
Original poster
Lalala1 · 02/10/2022 16:13

Zebedee55 · 02/10/2022 15:54

Get on with your life. Accept he's a shit father. It's not her job to support your children, so there's nothing to be gained by you.

He may well have been conning the DWP, but (having worked for them), your report won't come at the top of any fraud file.

Where anywhere on this thread have I said it's her job to support our children not my our (his and mine) where?

And for someone that works/worked for the DWP basically saying not to report benefit fraud regardless of the reason why then that's shocking !

People telling people to "move on" is the reason deadbeat dads get away with not providing for their kids

OP posts:
Overthinker2022 · 02/10/2022 16:20

Why are people telling OP to get a life ?? I completely understand where she is coming from in terms of it being a matter of principle. I'm finding some posters can be quite vicious in their comments on this forum.

ArnoldBee · 02/10/2022 16:20

So to summarise if he's been committing benefit fraud you have been receiving £7 a week and if he hadn't had committed that fraud you may not have actually received anything.

Original poster
Lalala1 · 02/10/2022 16:20

If he wasn't claiming benefits or working and she was solely supporting him/ household on her own n he was fine with that then ok and I wouldn't want any of her money trust me their not her children obviously but the fact he's been claiming benefits means she can't solely support the household and if it wasn't for the fraudulent benefits then he would have to work which then in turn means cms would calculate based on that

OP posts:
Original poster
Lalala1 · 02/10/2022 16:21

ArnoldBee · 02/10/2022 16:20

So to summarise if he's been committing benefit fraud you have been receiving £7 a week and if he hadn't had committed that fraud you may not have actually received anything.

If he hadn't been committing benefit fraud then he would have had to find work obviously u don't live on fresh air!

OP posts:
Original poster
Lalala1 · 02/10/2022 16:23

Overthinker2022 · 02/10/2022 16:20

Why are people telling OP to get a life ?? I completely understand where she is coming from in terms of it being a matter of principle. I'm finding some posters can be quite vicious in their comments on this forum.

Thank you it's fine I'm a tough cookieGrin it's just shocking in this day and age that it looks like people have no issue with anyone conning the system or parents conning the system to get away with their responsibility's

OP posts:
Mitsuha · 02/10/2022 16:25

Universal Credit doesn’t stop if you declare self-employed.

you get reassigned a work coach who specialises in self-employment and have a meeting where they look at if it’s viable or not.

From there, you have a year to get to ‘gainful self-employment’ and you report your income and expenses monthly and they figure out if you’re working or not.

it wouldn’t have closed the claim - they’d have wanted him to prove he was actually working and offered him support to get started.

so no idea what he’s actually done/saying to you but I don’t think whether they were both claiming as single people is the issue here.

Mitsuha · 02/10/2022 16:26

Oh, and depending on his earnings, he may still have been entitled to some UC

wherearebeefandonioncrisps · 02/10/2022 16:29

sst1234 · 02/10/2022 15:14

A lot of people on MN are very anti reporting of benefits fraud. Probably because they are scamming the system themselves and think it’s ok to do so.

That's what I was thinking.

These 'none of your business' and 'get a life' attitudes are exactly why so many absent parents get away with doing absolutely nothing for their children whilst defrauding the system.
Taxpayers then have to cough up with even more support for single parents.

Overthinker2022 · 02/10/2022 16:30

Lalala1 · 02/10/2022 16:23

Thank you it's fine I'm a tough cookieGrin it's just shocking in this day and age that it looks like people have no issue with anyone conning the system or parents conning the system to get away with their responsibility's

Show quote history

As someone mentioned above, these people are probably involved in scamming the system themselves.

Overthinker2022 · 02/10/2022 16:31

wherearebeefandonioncrisps · 02/10/2022 16:29

That's what I was thinking.

These 'none of your business' and 'get a life' attitudes are exactly why so many absent parents get away with doing absolutely nothing for their children whilst defrauding the system.
Taxpayers then have to cough up with even more support for single parents.

Show quote history

I completely agree.

JessesMum777888 · 02/10/2022 16:33

You seem so invested in your exes life. Not trying to be offensive but I find it really odd for the sake of £7.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 02/10/2022 16:35

Overthinker2022 · 02/10/2022 16:30

As someone mentioned above, these people are probably involved in scamming the system themselves.

Show quote history

Not me. I'm one of those taxpayers, but, because I am removed from the emotions of the situation, I can see potential consequences for the OP's children (and the ex's other child) that she hasn't considered.

ArnoldBee · 02/10/2022 16:35

Lalala1 · 02/10/2022 16:21

If he hadn't been committing benefit fraud then he would have had to find work obviously u don't live on fresh air!

Show quote history

To be honest it rather sounds like he might have been a prize cocklodger and happy to live off someone else's dime.

TwilightSkies · 02/10/2022 16:40

Can’t believe people are telling you to mind your own business.
It directly effects your children so of course it’s your business.