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?

It needs to be part of their focus, if they want to talk about bringing down some of the welfare bill.

You never hear a wheelchair user whimpering about how many ‘spoons’ they have left for the day.

WTF is it with these spoons and never ending sob stories of chronic illnesses (none of which can be proven or misproven with a scan of course)

We’ve allowed a section of society to become entitled victims , rather than encouraging self determination and a bit of get up and go. Rant over 😁

This is much needed. Getting a mobility car for anxiety and depression is a slap in the face to those who have actual mobility issues.

I fail to see why though. Those people being awarded enhanced mobility for anxiety, or depression, does not affect the outcome of those with mobility issues, and a person could have all three conditions.

That is correct. I don’t believe you should be entitled to a mobility car if you have no mobility issues. Next question ?

Erm, it really does!

There is so much bullshit on this thread, it’s like Daily Mail Bingo!

So many posters showing their contempt, and total ignorance to boot.

The government is coming after the disabled, and here you are trying pit different groups of disabled people against each other. What is your motive?
Maybe ask why there is a rise in MH issues, especially amongst the young.

And I do know wheelchair users who use spoon theory, because some people are in a wheelchair and also have MH issues/are ND.

That’s ok then, because you aren’t entitled to a motability car if you have no mobility issues. To be eligible for motability, you need to be on the enhanced rate of the mobility component of PIP, which means that you have very significant mobility issues, either as a result of difficulty physically getting around, or ability to plan and follow a journey.

Glad we’re on the same page.

If you get the enhanced rate for mobility on PIP, then you can swap the payment
for a car.
It is very hard to get this element for MH issues, but not impossible. The people who get it are absolutely entitled, and I hope having a car helps them have a life towards the normal that non-disabled people take for granted.

It’s fairly obvious that I disagree that mobility issues caused by non physical reasons (inability to plan or follow a route , anxiety , depression ) should entitle a person to higher rate mobility. The system is flawed (in my opinion ) and only physically disabled people should receive a mobility car. It’s okay that we disagree though, it’s really not that deep.

Report him.

There are 37,400,000 taxpayers in this country and it's fraud on each and every one of them, not to mention grossly offensive to those who struggle each day with a disability and genuinely need PIP to survive.

Ohhhh, I see.

You think that neurodevelopmental differences / mental health needs aren’t as ‘real’ as physical disabilities? I see.

What about learning difficulties? Should someone with profound learning disabilities be entitled to higher rate mobility? When they have no understanding or ability to go out independently, are completely reliant on others to make journeys, but can physically walk, even run?

What about uncontrolled epilepsy, where someone can’t go out and about safely or without a carer?

What about someone with a psychotic illness, who’s so out of touch with reality that they don’t recognise their surroundings?

Soneone with a brain injury who can’t navigate?

Someone autistic without a sense of danger, who needs full supervision and is liable to run into traffic?

These people shouldn’t be awarded enhanced mobility. Ok, then.

It actually is ‘that deep’, when you’re playing disability too trumps and pitting disabled people against one another, dividing into deserving and undeserving categories, as well as minimising and stigmatising certain disabilities.

Oh God I agree but the next post will be “oh it makes no difference to you personally”…err yes it does. Fradulent claims impact each and every one of us.

No, it doesn’t. I’m a PIP assessor. Do you mind if I ask what your point of reference is? I can provide a little bit more context to my point if it would be helpful

Yes, it does. I’m a welfare rights lawyer. My job is PIP appeals.

I’ve awarded multiple deserving claimants who for many reasons haven’t been able to provide medical evidence - decisions which have been upheld. Just one potential situation amongst many would be a substance user who has completely disengaged from primary and secondary care services because they’ve developed complex mental health conditions resulting from their misuse and lack of any health care input. There won’t always be a paper trail of ‘evidence’ to support a claim but decisions are often made based on balance of probability. Please stop sharing misinformation, it could be really damaging to vulnerable people reading these sorts of threads who may be considering applying but be put off

100% report

Most people wouldn't get a car for anxiety and depression, it would have to be so severe a person is unable to function to independently get themselves from A to B
We have a mobility car for my son he can walk and run and jump
But he s nearly 15 and cognitively around 2/3 years of age has zero understanding of danger completely non verbal he gets HRM under SMI he still receives DLA at the moment when he transfers to PIP I can't see this changing as he needs someone with him all the time ti keep him safe he wouldn't have a clue about getting a bus etc.

My DH is a wheelchair user and he has absolute contempt for people like you who parrot this divisive shit. Oh and by the way, the spoons theory absolutely does apply in his case. I will let him know that he is "whimpering" next time he runs out of spoons.

Again, if I said what I thought of you, I would be banned forever from mumsnet.

This. This post is utter nonsense. You don't get PIP just by writing any old shit on a form. You need medical evidence to back up your claims, and a "DWP" medical assessor also conducts an assessment. DWP don't just believe whatever you tell them.

Claims even with good medical evidence are usually declined (often when someone is blatantly eligible) and the claimant has to challenge the decision, and a significant number have to appeal which means going before a panel at tribunal.

It is not easy to claim PIP, so I think this post is disingenuous. Or perhaps your cousin's mental health issues cause them to lie. It sounds like an unlikely story coming from one of you.

@Hdjdb42 was any action taken after your reports?

The stress people experience with lifelong serious mental illnesses being continuously reassed pre emts relapses. Even people with schizophrenia and bipolar 1 have to go through these gruelling, humiliating and debilitating medicals to prove they qualify for p.i.p.
The result of continuously underfunding mental health services puts the users and sometimes the public in serious danger.

My friend was on the highest PIP and with that and possibly other benefits she got more than I got for working full time for the NHS. I was pretty fuming to be honest 😡. I expect people to get help obviously if they can’t work but not get more than a full time worker; what made it worse is that she wasn’t even working beforehand!!

You are jealous of someone who is disabled enough to the point they are entitled to full PIP. Have her money, but have her disabilities too.
Take a long look at yourself.

This is absolutely true! People who HAVE struggled to get PIP, have in trying to help others in genuine need, inadvertently shared information which has enabled people like your cousin to cheat the system.

In fact only a few days ago there was someone on here asking how to get PIP, claiming that she'd been turned down, but I got the distinct impression that she was trying to milk genuine claimants for information to help her cheat the system.

So, instead of moaning about benefit cheats, please DO report them people, as not only do they get all benefit claimants a bad name, but they also cost the country, (US) money, which could be better spent on the NHS, who can then help those who are genuinely sick, get well and back to work again.