To think this is fraud and do I say something or stay out of it?

[doitellthem]

I have NC'd for this. A friend of mine NEVER has to pay for work on her house...she has a family member who is high up in a business and so all of the work is put through the business. She says they are doing the jobs as favours! surely this is fraud! do i stay out of it or say something (who do i even report to!!)She currentky has a landscper in doing the garden...just so happens to be the landscaper who does the work for said business!

What?? No they are not. Do you know much about running a business - they are just lowering their overall margin which is 100% their choice.

So the family member is sending tradesmen to her house at the companies expense without their knowledge? If you were being a mean cow you could report it to the company as technically it’s theft. I suspect the relative is charging it onto other jobs.

if it were me though and I was a friend to the recipient not the business owner, of course I wouldn’t snitch on them!

Christ why are some Brits such narks? Does it come from all the forelock tugging over royals and toffs? Too much deference to unearned authority.

Goodness I hope this ‘friend’ of yours is on here and sees this thread.
You are not a friend. Jealousy stands out a mile from your post!

Er what? You’re generalising a whole nation based on OP being jealous of her ‘friend’. Please

I don’t understand what you mean. Does the person your friend knows run some sort of building company? Or do you mean they are pretending the work is being carried out at the business instead of your friends house and using company money to pay for it?
but if that’s the case I still don’t understand how that would play out - unless lots of other companies are in on the conspiracy which sounds very doubtful!

I’ve read exactly this scenario on here a couple of months back.
Same lack of knowledge, light on facts and heavy on exclamation marks.

In what way are the books being cooked? Are all the wages and purchases going through the books? Or are you saying the company is reducing it's profits by doing the work free and potentially avoiding some tax, but that's not benefiting the business. I suppose the family member could be defrauding the company, depending on their position, tell the company if you think that, or if you think the company is defrauding HMRC tell HMRC.

I’ve just bought an oven using my dad’s business account, go ahead and report me if that brings you joy

Well I won’t tell, but only if your dad buys me a new fridge! 🤣

I understand what you mean OP.
Her relative owns Company A. Company B does work at your friends house but invoices company A who pays the bill. Friend gets job done for free and Company A has an invoice which is deductible for tax reasons as ‘repairs’
so yes, it’s in no way honest, but I’d still keep out of it. It goes on in plenty of larger businesses and as long as the invoice shows the work being done at Company A, then it can’t be proved otherwise.

I said SOME Brits. You see threads on here all the time with people falling over themselves to declaim that they would never pay cash in hand and would happily report people to HMRC, DWP etc. In most other countries, people don't pride themselves on shopping fellow citizens, let alone their bloody friends.

The business owners are the toffs, so stopping them getting away with things should be right up your street!

On the surface there is nothing to suggest fraud (or theft, which is what I think you are getting at). However, there is plenty to suggest that this isn’t actually your friend.

Just stay well away.

Millions of people do this, in fact everyone I know who runs their own business puts things “through the business” for tax/vat reasons. If I got worked up about it I’d never sleep.

I'm sure I've read this scenario before.

I get it, you're jealous but it makes zero difference to your life so just do nothing.

Businesses can charge whatever they like - which also means they can charge nothing. It’s not remotely fraudulent 🤣

If the relative is using the companies money to pay for services for her family member that is embezzlement of it is fraud. Unless the relative owns the company in which case it is their choose, but would be a taxable benefit unless said service is offered to all employees.

"My friend is getting nice things and I'm jealous, how can I ruin it for her?"

Yep, but guaranteed these types of people exist in every country - you just see it on here as a lot of Brits use it.

Unless you own the business, it's nothing to do with you.

Alternative if the trades are doing the personal jobs for free as a kickback for getting awarded work on other contracts the company have this would be bribery which is illegal under the bribery act.

I think there might be some misunderstanding on the thread.
OP is this right: Your relative is in a senior position in (let's say) a large company that manages properties and land and so buys in a lot of services like building and plumbing and landscaping. What's happening is that work is being done on a private house and the relative is managing to authorise the same contractors being used and the bills for the work paid by the relative's employing company?
Yeah it's pretty dodgy; I think the only people who would be interested are the more senior management/owners of the employer, but not sure I'd do anything about it.

I'm sure they exist, what I mean is it's not something that people shout or boast about in most other places. It would be frowned upon culturally.