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?

Mumsnet probably isn’t the best place to ask - many posters here would demand you report someone for using too many paper clips.

My take is that if you think she’s good at the job otherwise, say nothing.

No need to resort to personal insults is there?.

If “immature” is minding your own business and avoiding passing judgement / interfering in other’s circumstances of which you know little in ways that have the potential to cause harm to your friends, then count me in

I think this is the best you can do. She could get away with it long term unless you’re in quite a small organisation, as personnel will have her address but not expenses. The longer she gets away with it, the more likely she is to be prosecuted as £4,800 a year is quite substantial!

You need to educate yourself on what 'vulnerability means'.

www.carecheck.co.uk/the-definition-of-vulnerable-adults-and-the-services-they-receive/

Someone committing fraud, i.e. stealing, brings their trustworthiness into question. How do you know this person would not also steal money from her clients??????

If this is okay with you, then we obviously have different standards of moral behaviour, so we will have to agree to disagree.

Lol I know exactly what vulnerability means, and I do not accept that this woman’s travel related expenses have anything to do with safeguarding.

yes we have different values clearly. You sound like you have a very “black and white” way of thinking, which causes you to be highly judgemental and interfering in others affairs. These are not qualities I admire or value.

And just in case you think elderly clients never get financially abused by their carers.

www.google.com/search?q=carer+stole+from+elderly&oq=carer+stole+&aqs=chrome.0.0i512j69i57j0i512l2j0i22i30j0i15i22i30j0i22i30j0i15i22i30i625j0i390l2.4202j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

@Tandora out of interest what is your cut-off when it comes to stealing from your employer?

Really @Tandora , you wouldnt question her integrity? She sees nothing wrong with lying and stealing from her employer
Would you employ her in your home?

I don’t steal from my employer, so my cut off is zero. Nor to I involve myself in the expense claims of my colleagues/ friends as that is neither my job, nor my personal business.

why iwhy is it up to you

i would query it with her personally if i felt i had to do something.

Moral of the story

• Do not get involved in fraudulent activities
• Don’t trust anyone - not even someone who you regard as a friend .

Indirectly the cost to the clients will be increased due to increased mileage costs, so basically ‘your Nan’ will be shelling out more money for a carer because somebody is committing fraud. I can’t see how any one thinks this is ok. Unless of course the people who do think it’s ok have their own little fiddles going on, justifying this to justify themselves. Shocking really!

She’s already involved because she’s input the timesheet that she knows is wrong. When the woman gets caught out (and she will) the OP will be asked questions!

So you’re happy for others to steal from your employer, even if that could impact on the business as a whole. I wonder what else you’d let slide - A few pounds here and there from the till or petty cash? Benefit fraud? Driving without insurance? Driving under the influence? Shop-lifting? After all it’s not your business…

This is someone I know personally. She now works in community care as a carer.

(Name changed)

In my opinion it is.

Question is whether you should talk to her first. You could frame it that someone else could say something and should not put her job at risk.

@Tandora I suppose I should thank you. I’ve had to dismiss people in the past for gross misconduct, I’ve always focussed on the individual and not really looked wider at who might be facilitating their behaviour in the wider team. It’s given me plenty to think about.

You're in a not great position as if you mention it to her and she doesn't amend her claims then when she gets caught she may say you knew but didn't report it so she thought it was ok,how your employers would view that we can only imagine.
if you do report her and she is sacked,how would you feel then?
be guided by your instincts.

Yes it is fraud

If you've seen her time sheets and not said anything then I don't know if you could be implicated as well as in a lot of jobs you have a duty to report fraud if spotted

So she might have inadvertently put you in a difficult position.

A lot of people claim a bit extra on expenses so she might not even realise its fraud.

Could you speak to her and say you've found out so it's only a matter of time before someone else does (eg she will slip up and mention her local pub / shop as being in the 'wrong' location etc) and she should let them know her new address before she gets found out

I would escalate this, it's theft.

OP, you need to look at you job policies. Something similar happened in a previous job. Some staff/friends started to question about another staff taking money. They didn't have clear evidence, but some things they told them didn't add up. In the end, one of them reported it.

All got disciplined because managers pointed to a policy that said that all staff had a duty to report anything suspicious. They kept their job but it was a horrible time for them. It turned that staff has been fiddling funds in other areas they suspected and badly defrauded the company.

Re reading the thread. The OP knows about this "as part of her work" rather than just kitchen chat.

When the shit hits the fan the OP will be asked if they knew.

If I were the OP I would not want to be the one having to say "not my job to check" given that I knew the claims were duff.

I would resent the fraudster for dragging me in.

I have worked somewhere where my line manager was stealing. Believe me it is horrible when it all comes out.