Should I report my cousin's benefit fraud?

[GreatAmberSnake]

Hi everyone - I'm having a bit of a moral dilemma and looking to get everyone's opinions.

My M34 cousin doesn't work, he claims PIP. I'm not that familiar with how it works but he says he's on the highest level available, and there's even talk of him getting given a car. He openly boasts at every opportunity about the extreme exaggerations and outright lies he put on his PIP application, and calls me and other members of the family idiots for working when we could just get our money from PIP like he does.

If they investigated him they would easily find that some of his lies don't add up. I believe he genuinely does have depression and anxiety, but he has no physical issues. He said he put things like his partner needs to dress him in the morning (he split from his partner a couple of years ago), needs to wear velcro shoes as he can't tie laces etc. A home visit would show up some of his lies, and a call to the school (he's a weekend Dad but sometimes picks up/drops off his sons) or the Police (he's been arrested for drug offences a couple of times) would be further proof.

The main thing stopping me from reporting him is his depression. He has attempted suicide on at least one occasion, and I fear that a potential prison sentence for fraud could send him into a spiral. Even if no-one found out it was me, I really don't want that on my conscience.

If he didn't boast all the time I would just ignore it, it's not like it affects me directly, but it just winds me up every time he goes on about. Grrrr!! I do try to minimise contact with him but sometimes it's easier said than done. If he gets this car I think he'll become even more unbearable 😡

Help! What would you do?

I would report. He sounds awful.

Whether he boasts about it or not shouldn't affect your decision. The crime is fraudulently claiming benefits, and that should be the only consideration.

I absolutely would report him, can't stand benefit cheats who live off the hard working tax payer.

Given how difficult it is to get PIP I’m amazed these lies haven’t already been uncovered

Pip is about £737 a month. He won't be given a car he will have to pay £300 of the pip (the motability element) towards it. Yes he sounds awful but I bet he's not exactly rolling in it

Pip isn't a benefit that is just thrown at people and your "cousin" has been awarded it for his medical conditions, by the time you typed out your lengthy post you could have emailed DWP to report your perceived benefit fraudbut you decided to talk about your "cousin" on the Internet because you are "worried" about their mental health. 🙄

As someone who does actually need help and had to jump (if I could jump!) through hoops to get it, people claiming for PIP by lying turns my stomach.
Sadly there are more social media pages now telling people how to claim by lying.
My claim was done in person, as was my tribunal appeal which was awful.
Take no notice of the bragging or that it’s great and why would suckers work? Lots of people who get PIP at different levels work.
His mental health may be ‘at risk’ if you report him, but he shouldn’t be getting funded for physical care which he is able to do himself. It’s disgraceful.

This. Pip needs medical evidence from a doc/specialist etc. Has he lied to them too? Im not sure how, if he is saying he has physical issues. If they haven't uncovered him yet, they will when he gets reassessed surely. Pup is often reassess after a few years unless you have a very serious condition.

I'm surprised because PIP is notoriously difficult to claim, even for those with genuine disabilities. This would really rile me too op. Maybe if he got a job and had some purpose to his life then he'd be less depressed? Can you talk to him instead or reporting, and maybe pretend you've heard fraud investigations are on the rise and he should consider his dishonesty?

So what exactly is your advice? It comes across like you’re saying because he isn’t exactly rolling in it to leave him to continue to fraudulently claim money he isn’t entitled to?

Did he not have to provide medical evidence?

Are you sure he’s not just saying these things because he’s embarrassed about his issues?

Had he always boasted about things and exaggerated?

I wouldn’t report him because it sounds like he’s making it up, and from how you’ve described him he doesn’t sound altogether well.

Right...

If this is a real post (which is debatable...) the only advice is keep your nose out of other people's lives.

PIP is a very difficult benefit to qualify for and is only given if people provide a lot of medical evidence to back up their claim. The DWP then follows up by contacting people's GP and/or consultant and a face to face assessment.

It is not given simply because people write something in a form.

Fed up of people saying PIP is difficult to claim. It's NOT.

It is only difficult to claim if you're not prepared to lie.You will be scrutinised and the assessors will try to catch you out when you're being honest, and often succeed in twisting your words and putting you off claiming because you're unwell and can't be dealing with this bullshit.

People who are prepared to lie and continue lying and fighting decisions that go against them will quite easily get PIP. Because they're happy to keep lying and scoring the points.

You do need medical evidence, but most medical evidence for mental health conditions is all about what you have reported to your doctor. Your doctor can only write down what you say your symptoms are. Your doctor doesn't live with you and has to believe you when you say you're so depressed you need help to get dressed. So that's what will go on your official reports and "medical evidence".

If you're prepared to lie, and make a part time job of claiming PIP by tracking which lies you have told your medical professionals and the PIP assessors, it is NOT hard to get PIP. You just need to learn the points system, and lie to your doctors and specialists and on the PIP form. These people also have people to lie for them, friends or family, pretending to have to provide care.

If you have genuine struggles, which you are genuinely trying to recover from and work towards getting better from, the PIP assessors will zero in on the bits where you seem capable and independent. You'll feel like shite spending so much time and energy on trying to claim this benefit and going through assesaments. You'll feel embarrassed and ashamed of how badly your health effects you, you'll struggle to talk about it. And you won't get PIP and will stop trying.

Not so with people who lie and make a job of it. They have all the time and energy in the world to keep going until they get the benefit.

The assessment process is easy for liars, who actually have the health to battle through the system, and very difficult for people genuinely unwell and trying to live life who don't have it in them to fight it.

Something isn’t right here. PiP is very hard to get and needs medical evidence. So either the cousin is winding the op up as he knows she’s judgey, or there is more to his illness than she knows.

Think how you'll feel if he did off himself after you reported him though, is that really worth it

Exactly.
Its incredibly difficult to get PIP now. A family member works in the system.
Something is not adding up here 🤔

Your cousin must be thrilled to have a medically qualified family member like you, able to out-diagnose medical professionals. Perhaps you could mind your own buiness rather than his? Leave him alone, he is unwell and you simply sound jealous.

Agree with @Agix - I'm not convinced that PIP is that difficult to get. If you're honest and have no support maybe but if you know how to work the system then I think it's relatively easy to work it.

Unfortunately this is going to impact all the genuine people claiming it as something will be done about the benefits bill. That is why OP you should report him.

So he’s suffering with his mental health and you’re jealous? That’s how you’re coming across. Leave the poor bloke alone

For every fraudulent PIP claim there’s probably someone in real need for PIP who doesn’t know how to apply for it, has been unfairly passed over for it. It’s fairly common knowledge that there are ways to game the system, including getting help in falsifying claims to vastly improve success rates of being awarded.

Also, the assessment process is highly target-orientated so there are quotas to be met i.e. even if everyone on that PIP assessor’s list qualifies for PIP, the assessor is probably only able to put forward a percentage of these applicants to be considered. Hence a high number of appeals and reversal of decisions after appeal (obviously the ones who appeal are applicants with genuine needs; those who are mis-awarded PIP after successfully submitting false claims won’t appeal of course, so nobody knows the true number of successful fraudulent applications).

I would report because it’s not an infinite resource and should be given to those who have real medical needs.

You must report him. Fraud is a serious crime.

People who don't work are prone to depression. If he gets a job instead of leeching off the taxpayer, he will gain a greater sense of self-worth that will contribute to his well-being.

He is far too young to be satisfied with letting other people fund his idle lifestyle. Many taxpayers have genuinely greater problems than his.

Do him and the rest of us a favour. Report him today.

🥱 No you should not report your M34 cousin. Hth.

You are being very unfair to the OP.

This man's life, how he chooses to live it, improve it or end it, lie entirely with him. No one else is responsible for his decisions.

I wouldn't personally. It would totally fuck his life up. Unless he'd done something really horrible to you. You can get a high rate without any physical disabilities. I would if he was abusive or had robbed me or something though.