To think I am being stalked by benefit fraud people?

[Secretnamechange123]

No. I don’t take any recreational drugs, I’m not schizophrenic, I don’t hear voices and I am not being paranoid. Just thought I’d clear that up.

For the last few weeks down my road there’s been a few different cars turn up every morning and stays until later afternoon. The driver almost always stays in the car.

i am a genuine benefits receiver and I need assistance to move, so they won’t catch me wandering the streets, or popping out shopping/gym, unless I have available help, which is possibly once a month. Yes, for a whole month I am stuck inside. They would have seen my meds turn up in a boots pharmacy van, my shopping delivered which is usually time when my neighbours are home to help me. I live alone, I have no support, I don’t know what they are trying to catch? Their car is very unassuming but I live on a street with mine and my neighbours are attached and no more houses for half a mile.

Theyre not stalking my neighbours because they’re not on benefits, so I am guessing it can only mean it’s for me. I don’t have any criminal background, I basically sit in my house for weeks on end, do you think someone is trying to get me into trouble for no reason?

They might be stalking one of your neighbours? Jealous lover, private detective? If you’re concerned it might be something nefarious then call 111. If it is a benefit checker then you’ve obviously got nothing to worry about so pop a film on, read a book, and stop looking out the window and let them get on with it.

If you are not doing anything wrong then they won't find anything so nothing to worry about...

But also you sound extremely paranoid because an unfamiliar car on your road should not be leading to this thought process. Very irrational

They could just be looking at the traffic on your street, we had that before traffic calming measures were put in place.

Why have you decided they are benefit fraud people? You sound paranoid indeed.

It could be, the DWP do hire surveillance officers to follow disability benefit claimants.

There could be any number of reasons for this - they could be undercover police. A PI. Or just a normal person who parks up on the street because there are no parking restrictions and they are waiting to go to a regular appointment close by. You say you are not paranoid, but you've decided that this is about benefits and it is about you. You have no evidence of either of these facts.

I'm pretty sure dwp investigators don't turn up at your house and spy on you in different cars every day. Are you in a cul-de-sac? If so it's not uncommon for people to park up in them workies doing paperwork or drivers having a break.

If you’re not doing anything wrong, I wouldn’t worry.
They won’t find their evidence of foul play and they’ll leave you alone.

I don't think that's paranoid. If I didn't leave the house for a month I would sit wondering what the people sitting in their cars are doing too OP!

Since you're genuine you don't need to worry. Is it a single person sitting in a car for hours at a time, or do they swap people throughout the day? If they keep swapping it's more likely to be nothing to do with you or your neighbours, but one person sitting there for hours does seem likely to be monitoring someone, for some reason.

If they're benefit fraud people they're unlikely to be tracking you - they don't sit outside the house if the person they're tracking, they're far more subtle than that.

111 is for NHS

101 is for non emergency police

You do sound a bit paranoid.

It's not paranoia if they're really watching you!

People always park outside our place and sit in the car. I used to wonder why this always happened, until I realised all our neighbours have cars and we don't - it's the only parking space.

You're leaping to conclusions that a) it's about fraud and b) that it's you they are suspicious of. You say you're not paranoid, but why are you making these leaps? If I saw these I wouldn't assume I was being watched, I'd think of a neighbour first if I thought it was something undercover at all.

They are not subtle at all! They have the subtlety of a copper, or undercover security, which is to say absolutely none at all if you know what to look for. They were very similar when they erroneously believed my ex husband still lived with me.

It sounds like they're watching someone - who they are and to what purpose is different. How well do you get on with your neighbours? I'd be more than happy to go and knock on their window and ask what they wanted as they seem to be hanging out there every day... I quite enjoy pointing out how blatant undercover people are. It's funny. Perhaps you have a neighbour who feels similar - if you're right, then at least they'll be less obvious then, which will take the stress level down, as you're clearly not fraudulently claiming if you can't leave the house.

They might be watching you but if you are genuine there’s no need to worry. They could also be watching one of your neighbours. Sometimes lawyers get surveillance on dodgy claimants in personal injury claims for example.

What is the phone reception like where you are? Could they be stopping there for good reception? Could your neighbour be a wifi hotspot?

I am not being paranoid

What you're describing is the definition of paranoia.

...that doesn't mean they're not out to get you 👀

Maybe one of your neighbours is a drug dealer 🤷‍♀️

My father experienced this. He had a girder slip out of a sling at work - it landed on his foot - his x-ray showed virtually every bone in his foot shattered into many pieces. It was the insurance company acting on behalf of the firm he worked for that had sent "undercover" people to check on him. It was so stupid - a strange car sat outside the house - it was a busy A-road where people don't normally park up or stop - every house had a driveway and a wide grass verge to get their cars off the road. My dad had nothing to hide - 30+ years later he still has terrible problems with his foot which was basically smashed to pieces because of missing safety equipment and bad work practices. So people investigating an insurance claim also do this kind of surveillance.

My BIL used to do surveillance for the DWP, but it didn't involve sitting in a car unmoving for hours on end. He said that most of the reports about benefit fraud were malicious and very few turned out to be correct.

Theyre not stalking my neighbours because they’re not on benefits,

This is a really weird statement

When I was being investigated for benefit fraud they turned up at my house and told me, they didn't sit outside for weeks. I doubt they have the man power for that, a few days maybe but not weeks.

Also, as an aside, you have no idea who is on benefits or not. Most people claiming uc are in work.