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?

@Horserider5678

It’s about time they took mental
health out of PIP!

Tell us you are ignorant without telling us you are ignorant

@Throwawaygh if he definitely is cheating then yeah, you're not wrong. I personally wouldn't want to get that deeply involved though, just in case I didn't really know how things affect them behind closed doors. But yeah, this particular character does sound like a right chancer. And idiotic too for bragging to all and sundry about it.

100%. Hate benefit scroungers. It’s not difficult to turn it on for pip - I’ve seen people do it before.

Some people get PIP without lying.

Report him. 100%

@Flipflop223

It’s not difficult to turn it on for pip - I’ve seen people do it before.

Can you tell me how they did it? Specifically how they managed to evidence it? I could benefit greatly from your advice

What about physical health issues that aren't 'fixable'? What do you propose should happen to children born with disabilities that will make it impossible for them to ever work? What should happen to people who are paralysed? What about the ones with Parkinson's or Huntington's or Alzheimer's disease? People with Duchenne's? The terminally ill? Should they not get disability benefits either? Should we not treat them because it won't help them get back to work? Should we just do away with them?

It's virtually impossible to do a false claim! The process isn't just filling in a form it's also phonecalls assessment visits etc. I know people think it's easy but honestly it's not, you have to give details of people professionals they can talk to etc

Personally I wouldn’t bother, my husband has relatives doing similar things and I’m just grateful I’m not that pathetic to pretend I’m disabled in order to avoid working. A job offers so much more than just an income and I find long time unemployed scroungers to lack so much in their miserable, boring lives that I couldn’t care less what they’re doing. Imagine being that much of a lazy loser

It’s not acceptable to be making false claims. How do you know he tried to commit suicide? Is it just something he told you as could be lies?

does a partner live with him to do all this care?

my step brother is paraplegic, has cerebral palsy and struggles to get by as the system is so complicated. He literally can’t dress or bathe and relies on carers. His dad is now ageing and can’t take care of him properly anymore yet trying to get support and money to pay for carers is so hard.

he could just be dumped in a home but wants to stay in own home as long as possible and then your cousin is making a mockery of it.

maybe prison would be a good thing for mental health with the amount of support they can access in there that have enormous waiting lists on the outside.

I have nothing of value to add but I completely empathise as my 21 year old brother does the exact same, completely and utterly enabled by my mother. It sucks!

what do YOU gain out of it?!!! its either the money goes to him or to some MP’s steak lunch expense or gas bill. i don’t know your cousin but i would much rather my taxes go to him than making the rich richer.

If you are claiming for fibro or mental health as an example, it’s impossible to be challenged on it. Theres no evidence that can disprove it. Obviously there are genuine cases. These benefit frauds just lay it on thick and lie. It’s totally disgusting.

I’m so sick of this argument. The rich get richer.

its always said by people who contribute next to nothing in tax. The vast majority of the ‘rich’ contribute tens and hundreds of thousand in tax you know. Literally. Whereas the people on £10k or £20k contribute beans. Even on £30k or £40k income levels, if you have 2 children, you’ve already consumed more tax than you have paid. These people are being subsidised by other people who earn more.

But yet they whinge about the rich not payingn their taxes when it’s them that are being heavily subsidised. It’s just lack of education of course but they don’t get it and spout this nonsense to make themselves feel better.

Of course benefit frauds should be jailed. They are cheats.

She gets justice! It’s the right thing to do

Good. He deserves it completely!!

It doesn’t work like that

People just had to get up and work in the past. No work, no food. They didn’t get to say they can’t work because they are dealing with trauma. No wonder the older generation laughs at us.

No! Don’t do that. Why?! Would you stand by and watch if he told you he was a pick pocket? Taking other people’s things that they had worked hard for? What about if he accessed people’s properties and stole from them? Would that be enough if he was bragging about that? What about if he said he was stealing from the elderly but not hurting them.

He’s committing theft - it’s no different to any of those scenarios. It’s not a victimless crime - it takes money away from people who really need it. People with MND. People with debilitating conditions who CANNOT work.

he isn’t in that category is he and is providing false testimony so he’s a thief. And you’re happy to stand by and watch and not report him. You’re equally culpable.

No, they did not get up and work in the past. They were shut away in asylums.

People who on are PIP are entitled to it. MH is no different. I am not talking about mild anxiety/depression. I am on about things at the severe end... the stuff no one wants to talk about and never gets mentioned in all the MH awareness stuff out there.

Nonsense. That’s historically inaccurate. The number of people..you know what, I can’t be bothered. I’d have to teach you historical and economic research and that would take a long, long while and I can’t be bothered.

Have you ever spoken to the last generation and the one before that?

Rubbish. There were no asylums post 1980s, huge gap between then and the rise in PIP claims. All this ‘literally everyone was locked up in an institution’ has to stop, it’s a weird myth that has been parroted for a while now.

Me? No. I’m not in receipt of any benefit of any sort. What an odd assertion to make

But just because you’re in a wheelchair, doesn’t mean you can’t be economically productive? WFH is a thing. Accommodations are a thing.

Yeh let’s pick on the least fortunate in society, lazy bastards. Funny how it’s ok for big corporations to tax dodge. If they paid what they are meant to we wouldn’t be in the mess we are. The benefits bill is minuscule in comparison to the shortfall of unpaid tax