My neighbour is threatening to report me for “benefit fraud”

[AugustSlippedAwayInto]

I’m currently signed off sick from work after an operation last week. My street is full of gossips (to put it nicely) so the entire street knows why I’m off. Brill.

For full disclosure, the relationship with this neighbour is rocky at best. She’s screamed abuse at me and my family in the street before, she watched everyone from her window and films people walking past very regularly.

I decided that I felt well enough for a short walk yesterday, so my mum came over and offered we went. I think we were out for about half an hour, with a break halfway.

This morning as soon as she’s seen I’m up (lights on, curtains open etc) she’s banging on my door saying she’s contacted my work and “the government” to report that I’m “committing fraud”. I’m talking shouting, banging my door so hard I thought she’d break the glass, slapping the front windows. It’s all on the ring camera.

I’m not on SSP, as I get occupational sick pay, and after my walk I slept for three hours! WIBU to just tell her to do one and to leave me alone?

Phone the police again

My boss has text, she called them three times this morning. Thankfully we have call recording, so I've given her the reference number and asked her to send along the call records.

Why are you bothering to waste energy over this? She's clearly deranged!

If she threatened to call your work, just smile at her, say "OK, have a nice day" then close your door.

She's just looking for a reaction.

Report her to 101 and your local council. Every single time.

You are being harassed and you have rights.

I'd also reach out to your HR team to let them know this is happening and she has threatened to maliciously report you.

So now she's harassing your employer too? This woman is clearly deranged.

So now she's harassing your employer too? This woman is clearly deranged.

I'm pretty sure it was the banging on the windows and threatening behaviour that was the issue.

The neighbour is totally batshit crazy!!!! Take no notice of her……in fact, if she’s banging on your windows then she is potentially causing a public nuisance so report her to 101.
Contact your employer to update them…….you did nothing wrong by going for a walk when you’re off sick……good to get some fresh air, exercise and general MH support. Hope you improve despite your bonkers neighbour 💐

It's becoming more clear that she's very mentally unwell. It's been obvious for a while, but it feels like it's coming to a head

Tell her to go ahead. She probably won't and if she does then it will all be proved nonsense and hopefully she will get a ticking off.

You can also access 101 online and upload information if you have a reference number.

I had a batshit neighbour like this. She’d fallen out with everyone in the street, so when I moved in I was fresh bate so to speak.

Except she painted herself as the friendly neighbourhood person who everyone turned to, as opposed to the one that everyone ran a mile from.

She had an aggressive dog who could only be walked muzzled after dark, and who barked at everyone and everything that moved. I had a dog, and if it ever barked so much as once she would come round screaming.

For reference, my dog wasn’t left outside barking or anything, it barked if someone came to the door and was promptly silenced, but if any noise happened anywhere it set off her dogs, and so naturally it was all my fault.

Anyway, one day I came home from somewhere and she was waiting at her kitchen window, came out and started shouting that she’d had enough of me, that she had reported me to environmental health, the RSPCA, that they were coming round to remove my dogs and that I was going to be evicted by the council for having a dog. Her face was firmly shut when I pointed out that I owned the house 😂.

She said that everyone in the neighbourhood had got together and asked her to do something about me. On and on and on she went.

Now it just so happened that I was recording a voicemail to my DP at the time, so after she’d finished her tirade, I said to her very calmly that what she was doing was harassment, that I’d recorded the entire conversation and would be taking it to the police.

She ran screaming into her house and never spoke to me again.

They sold the house about nine months later, and the people they sold it to ended up taking them to court over various things about the house they’d lied about. She was an absolutely vile individual and I pity the poor buggers who are her new neighbours.

I don’t doubt she has mental health problems, or is that that she’s mental. But frankly have no fucks to give.

Too many people use “mental health” as an excuse to justify the most vile behaviour, and it’s time the tolerance for that was stopped.

I’d be inclined to tell this woman that you have her every word and action on film and that you have gone to the police.

I might also threaten to publish the interactions on the local facebook group so as to warn people about the kind of person she is, unless of course she agrees to wind her neck in.

I have no time for these people, and frankly I don’t care about their problems.

Jesus. Yes I think 101 is the right call and potentially any sort of order for her to keep her distance and stop phoning you.

how the hell has she got your work number!

I would call the police. This is not just harassment but invasion of privacy as shes watching your every move. Personally if she said anything to me again id tell to f off and a few other choice words. Also I would record as much as possible, so if you know shes at your door, or you see her in the street, take out your phone and record her either visibly with the camera or there's a recording device on most phones or you can download an app so that you could just record her voice. Contact the police every time, perhaps speak to your neighbours about doing the same. The police will take action and she may end up in court. You dont need this harassment at the best of times let alone when you are recovering.

Of course she is mad, just had surgery the other month and the doctors said 'even though it hurts you must get up and walk around every few hours to reduce the risk of blood clots'. Its fairly standard advice after many surgeries.

Wow she is unhinged. Its good you have reported it. The more people who do means at somepoint the police will have to do something .
But I would also in future keep personal details that you give to other neighbours to the basics.
They obviously tell her and it just adds to her madness.
How old is she?

Again, small town, she's encountered me in a work context before (she's come into my place of work). It's actually quite disconcerting that she's going to all these lengths because I went for a walk... She'll have kittens when I go to my hospital appointment later!

Its shameful not right to threat anyone we should have to take an action.

Also as for the banging.

I had a nuts neighbor like this (although he was male and I was a young mother alone with my toddler) try to kick my door down. I phoned the local police as it happened and they heard it all on the phone. They came straight out and he tried to lie but they had recorded the call. They gave him a no contact order to stay away from us and he did then moved about a year later.

I'd say anywhere between 45 & 55.

Apparently she and her sister inherited the house from their parents, plus a significant sum of money, about 10-ish years ago. So they're mortgage free, and she spends her days spying on us all

You need to report and keep reporting.

You’re doing her a favour by doing so. She’s obviously mentally ill and doesn’t have anyone around to look out for her.

She needs to find something better to do. Report to police for harassment.

Two options come to mind. The first is to contact the police again, and ask them to perform a welfare check on her, as you have concerns for her mental health. The second is, if your surgery relates to a disability, then her behaviour could be classed as a hate crime, and should be reported as such. I think both these options would get a quicker response from the police than reporting as harassment. I asked for a welfare check on a neighbour before, and they came pretty quickly. As I suspected, the banging noises he was making was actually him banging his own head on the wall and social services did have involvement. So the police check lead to social services being notified that he wasn't coping with independent living.

Why is appalling behaviour always put down to mental health, she's a nasty piece of work, that's all, no excuses.

Utterly bizarre. I think you should tell the police she's been harassing you, and has admitted she's falsely accused you of a crime.

Also speak to your work and try and find out of it's true she did contact them. And if so obviously explain she's bonkers and has been harassing you.