To ask you if this is fraud?

[LucyLeopard]

just as background - Colleague is a lovely person and also a single mum to 3 children. I think this must be incredibly tough!

We are fortunate in our job (carers) that we now get our mileage paid from home and not the workplace. It used to be workplace to someone’s home but it’s now from our own home! This has helped everyone with that extra little bit of cost and we can even claim for the drive to work!

the thing is colleague is claiming from an address she doesn’t live at. She actually lives say 2 miles from the workplace but now she’s claiming from her mums house which is 34 miles each way!

I realised this from when she asked me to scan both our mileage sheets in. She’s now making over 100.00 per week in mileage. i know she definitely only lives 2 miles from work as she only invited us round at Christmas.

im really torn, I feel like I 96% should keep my mouth shut but 4% of me has that niggling doubt I should say something!

wwyd?

I'd feel torn too. £400 is a lot.

But given her circumstances, I'd keep quiet for now, assuming she's hard up (not every single parent with 3 kids is hard up).

How do you know she hasn't split up with her dp/h or lost her home and is now back at her mums?

Mind your own.

What’s your company policy on sign off? I’m assuming there’s checks management must do before authorisation where this might be picked up.

If not, think all you can do is let your manager know that you don’t think she lives at the address on the system. Management will ask her to change her address. Whether the “fraud” gets picked up is unknown, if she’s recently moved then it may be reasonable for her to travel between her/her mum’s address - perhaps there’s renovations. Or another reasonable explanation that you’re not privy to. Relationship breakdowns, mum having ill health etc.

If you’re involved in the process then you might be compelled to report discrepancies as part of your role? If not, you need to cover your own back in case she accuses you of inputting things incorrectly if this comes out.

In fact, if YOU are the one inputting her expenses, can you ask her directly if she’s travelling from her new address or old? Gives you a legitimate purpose to ask as you can feign that you don’t want to underpay her

Grow up. It raises a number of questions about her morals and values. So she fiddles her mileage, no big deal. Say she fiddles her hours, again not a biggy? Or even steals from her clients? Again not a problem………..?

So many fraudsters too!

Yes, you need to cover yourself, if she’s caught out she could implicate you

The £400 might not be taxed. If it’s simply reimbursement of travel expenses it’s paid gross. Depends how the company accounts for it with HMRC.

Its fraud and if she gets caught not only will she lose her job but she will get arrested and charged.

Of course, it's a fraud; that's a given. It's all very well people saying not to report this, but it brings into question her professionalism and trustworthiness.

I assume, as a carer, she is going into the homes of people who could be vulnerable. She may come across as a lovely person, but what else is she prepared to do to get extra money?

Personally, I would not report her, but I would have a quiet word with her and give her the opportunity to start submitting the correct expense claims.

Stealing is OK provided you are low paid? If that's the case then loads of people should be doing it. It isn't hoity today to be honest. Fight for wages and conditions, yes. Steal, no.

Eek £400 a month is not an insignificant amount of money is it? I’m not sure if be able to report her but it would make me really uncomfortable knowing about it

Yes it is a fraudulent mileage claim if she resides elsewhere.

Grow up. It raises a number of questions about her morals and values. So she fiddles her mileage, no big deal. Say she fiddles her hours, again not a biggy? Or even steals from her clients? Again not a problem………..? @IneedanewTV

But the OP wasn't worried about all that, was she? She is just miffed that her colleague is fiddling the books and getting more.

OP the fact that you know where this person lives due to her inviting you round shows that she considers you a friend: I'm with the 'snitches' person. You don't grass on your friends.

Oh mind your own business!! You won’t get any more money by dobbing her in. How would it benefit you?

I’d just ignore it. Wouldn’t bother me

This is incredibly childish. What in life isn’t “unfair”. And how does it affect the OP? She gets the same regardless.

@hmmmintereting , the fact that @LucyLeopard has been to her house indicates that her 'friend' has no respect for her and has knowingly put her in a difficult position
@Tandora she won't get more money but she may lose money if they withdraw this because its being abused

Hasn't put her in a difficult position at all. The OP can choose to be in a difficult position, if she wants to be. Her job isn't to analyse or report on the mileage. It's none of her business.

It will get picked up quite quickly OP as payroll, HMRC and auditors will at some stage check all reimbursements especially £400 a month. She will lose her job as it is theft/fraud. You don’t need to report her (as long as you don’t sign it off). Seems like most people on MN think it’s ok to steal from their employers. We don’t know the size of the company so really can’t say whether it matters or not. If she is fiddling her mileage I still think it raises doubt over her morals.

she won't get more money but she may lose money if they withdraw this because its being abused

well all the more reason not to report and leave it alone then!

shes claiming from her official address, op doesn’t know where she’s driving from, no need to create a drama based on second hand information out of jealousy and pettiness and potentially lose these benefits for everyone!

Id assume I don’t actually know her full circumstances and would ignore it.

Quite

Doesn't anyone think that this could get Op in deep water when it is discovered? If her colleague says "but X knows where I live".