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?

As an aside, I am wondering in what grounds your company is justifying paying mileage from home, as carers your normal place of work is clearly not your own home. So this is not an expense, if they want to compensate you for it then it should be through payroll and have the appropriate tax applied.

To the actual question, well I normally take the line of minding your own business, but it does look like fraud and I would definitely highlight it. Having said that, surely the manager who signs off the expenses has a rough idea of where people live?

Of course, it's her business. As a carer, she is in a position of trust and falsifying expense claims is dishonest and would be perceived as a criminal offence.

Maybe it would not bother you if this person was visiting your elderly relatives' in their own home, but it certainly would me.

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

Say the pleasantries to soften the blow before grassing her up.

Would bother me more to have someone looking after my elderly relatives if they were the type of person to maliciously involve themselves in others’ business (motivated by jealousy) when no one asked them to , it wasn’t their job to, and they don’t know the facts.

You don't have to be asked, and anyone who works in health care has a duty to report fraud, particularly if it puts the safety of vulnerable adults at risk.

Clearly, you do not work in health care; otherwise, you would know this.

I would speak to her about the consequences of what could happen when she gets caught. I say when because she will at some point come under scrutiny with petrol expenses that high. It’s not about grassing her up, I wouldn’t go to her employer, but everyone who says keep your beak out is not doing her any favours.

I'd be saying something to her, she's putting you in a position if you're responsible for inputting! You are actually helping her commit fraud because you know she's lying and you're still inputting it! She does that for 5 years and before you know it she's going to prison for a £25k fraud against her employer!

I wouldn’t say anything. Carers are tremendously underpaid. I struggle to begrudge someone an extra £2-3 quid an hour who does such a hard job.

I would tell. It's wrong.

It doesn’t even remotely put the safety of vulnerable adults at risk though. has nothing to do with safety and , she doesn’t actually know if it’s fraud she just suspects.

Tell her you have concerns and you've noticed the incorrect address which means extra payments. Reassure her you aren't going to report it, but that you are worried and it needs to stop. Kind and understanding but not judgemental

She's you're friend for christs sake- close enough to have you round on Christmas! And you're considering snitching on her. Maybe tell her you know and say you're worried that's she'll get find out, but don't tell on her ffs.

I would keep out of it to be honest. You don't 100% know where she is travelling from (although 34 miles seems excessive for that kind of work).

Surely her employers know her address anyway. They must know where she lives for tax purposes. So if she has moved she needs to inform them.

Ignore me- not reading the thread properly

I agree.

Fraud investigator here - most definitely fraud, and depending on how long its gone on for, and how much is claimed then it could well end up being a criminal conviction.

Im surprised your employer hasn't asked for copies of log books, insurance etc which could be cross checked against her personnel records for current address.

If she has her mum's address on her car documents, and needs to make a claim on her insurance she could well find herself in more trouble.

If it is found out, then its highly likely the mileage from home might be stopped for everyone.

If she is caught, and tells management you knew, and didn't say anything you could up in trouble yourself. I am surprised they let you input the information without them being double checked, unless someone checks them after they have been inputted.

Whether you say anything or not, is down to your conscious, but I wouldn't be happy with a couple claiming false mileage and taking an extra £400 a month they were not entitled to.

Yes that would definitely be a concern. What else would she be willing to do, if she thought she could get away with it. In my experience, people who get away with relatively small frauds tend to get greedy and see what else they can get away with.

Extra work until the job is filled?

This. In an 'ive noticed, it's just a matter of time before someone else does' kind of way

So by your logic if they took £2-3 out of your Nan's purse or £5 out of your your DS who had SLD's wallet that would be OK too?

Again, I am not accusing this person of anything, just pointing out that being a carer is a highly trustworthy role and IF she is doing this it puts her whole moral stance in question.

If you can, report anonymously.
It's all well and good posters saying she might be in need but if people keep getting away with it then it impacts on the rest of us.

Care companies work on small profits , relying on quick turnovers. If every care worker posted mileage from further away then the company would struggle as the distance/time worked ratio would be untenable.

You're close enough to be invited to her house but considering reporting her? Id keep my nose out

How much would you be happy to let a friend do and not "snitch". If she started taking money from some of the old people she cares for is that ok as well as long as they're well off. I would not want to tell on her, but I would hate being in a position of knowing this, because I am honest. If lots of carers take an extra £400 per month fraudulently there will be less money in the pot to employ more carers and isn't this already a problem causing major problems to the NHS!

so it’s fine to be dishonest and break the law if you are struggling ? She may not be necessarily defrauding a private company it might be rate payers money ?

OP if you're not going to say anything to anyone then fgs keep the paper copies (for everyone, not just her) so if anyone tries to say you're involved when it all comes out (because it will!) you can show you inputted exactly what was submitted to you.

I understand not wanting to cause trouble for her, I wouldn't either, but if people know you've been to her house and it comes out that you're merrily inputting impossible mileage then you'll be deep in the shit too.

Can you ask how come she's staying at her mum's so much? Maybe her mum's unwell and needs someone there overnight and it's all legit. But I think you're putting yourself at risk by entering info you think is incorrect.