To suggest that all the people who know people who are definitely faking disability for benefits should report them.

[Mokeytree]

So many people post online about knowing a person or family, some apparently know multiple people who are lying to claim PIP or DLA for their children.
If you know this for a fact as us claimed then you should report them.

Good point I didn’t know that. Still wouldn’t though. You just never know. Would never put my family at risk. The system shouldn’t be making it so easy. That’s the underlying root cause.

Benefits are only suspended if there is evidence to support fraud. That’s after an initial
investigation

The DWP's investigation process
If the DWP decides to proceed, the process generally involves these stages:

• Initial review. The DWP's Fraud and Error Service reviews the information provided by the public report. During this stage, they may match their own records against data held by various organisations, such as employers and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
• Contact and interview under caution. If there is enough evidence, the DWP will notify the claimant and may request an "interview under caution". This is a formal, often recorded interview that could become part of a criminal investigation.
• Evidence gathering. DWP Fraud Investigation Officers (FIOs) gather evidence. They have broad powers to conduct surveillance, interview witnesses, check bank accounts, and monitor social media profiles.
• Benefit suspension. The DWP may suspend the claimant's benefits while the investigation is ongoing. The claimant will receive a letter notifying them if this occurs.

id be more concerned about the drug dealing than the potential fraud. Most people in this country are middle class and live in normal places, you ever had a miserable bitch from the school gates over twice your age become obsessed with you, jealous you actually get on with your kids father and report you for “benefit fraud” because apparently anyone who successfully coparents must just be pretending to live separate for more benefits. It’s not fun knowing one person’s spite could get you evicted if your moneys stopped and you can’t pay your rent. I stand by what I said 99% of fraud reports are out of spite

Exactly
There’s only so much money in the pot and it should go to those who are genuine claimants and need it

A procedure like that would kill my daughter and all because she has a hidden disability.

Money is only stopped after an initial investigation that shows there is evidence of fraud

Not on the say so of others outside the system.

That must have been really distressing for you. Weird that some people report maliciously.

Everyone who I know who claims fraudulently actually are claiming fraudulently. People don’t tend to hide it in certain areas of the country as it’s what everyone does.

People seem to be confused
This is the thread title.

Also I agree that most reports are unfounded and out of spite.

those of us who do know lots of people who do it, would not dare to report it for all the reasons I mentioned in my previous post.

I grew up in a very deprived area in the UK and it was rife. Entire families who had been on benefits for generations.

It is not how I would ever choose to live, but it is very much a choice.

The children born into these families don’t stand a chance. They grow to repeat the same cycle of claiming benefits as it’s all they know.

I don’t know what anyone gets out of denying this goes on. It needs to be acknowledged, and it needs to be tackled, because otherwise we are just condemning the next generation of children in these communities to a future of limited prospects, opportunities and Government handouts.

I’m afraid it’s seen as a badge of honour

It caused me a shit ton of stress that it could happen I was only 20 when my eldest started reception I think 21 when this happened she also went around the whole school telling all the other parents she “knew” I was committing fraud. This woman picking and obsessing on me when she was old enough to be my mother. This is how I imagine most people who post on here claiming to know someone is committing fraud to be, absolutely batshit, because if someone WAS committing fraud why would they tell you

There was a cricket player who had his leg amputated under the knee. He claimed £36k PIP but DWP filmed him walking out to middle on his artificial leg and even though he had a runner for the game they took his Motability car away from him and stopped his PIP and said he has to pay back £36k.

You have put this perfectly.

I work with middle class people. They tend to disagree this goes on. Those who have lived among it ( not just seen this places on TV programmes or read about them at sociology A level) know it is rife.

DWP already ask for bank accounts in reviews. I have UC top ups and had a review last year and this year. They went through 3 months of bank statements and asked about lots of transactions.

It's posts like this that make me wary of applying for DLA for my son. He's having speech and language assessment currently and soon due for OT assessment. Struggles hugely with sleep, very selective diet, loads of sensory issues, on list for autism and ADHD assessment. Professionals we have seen totally understand and it's clear he's ND but school just see him as quiet so I'm worried about them being contacted and saying he's fine. Meanwhile I'm running on little sleep, dealing with meltdowns and all sorts of other issues in a 9 year old.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation carried out research in 2012 or thereabouts looking into the claim of there being loads of families where 3 or 4 generations had never worked.

Surprise: such families were exceedingly rare.

We are now 13 years down the line and while dated, there is no way that loads of such families have suddenly sprung up in the UK. It's an impossibility.

I also will continue to call bullshit on all those people who are 100% privy to the financial and other affairs of benefit claimants they know. And that has to be the bar for reporting - there has to be certainty. Because if you are reported, there is a very good chance that your benefits will be stopped immediately. As will any linked benefits, because they are very often interconnected. So what happens then is that a person or family spirals into poverty and debt from which it is very difficult to recover.

Now imagine that person who has been reported has in fact done absolutely nothing wrong and is fully entitled to everything they are getting - but some bitter, jealour busybody has thrown their lives into chaos. You'd better be 100% sure, in possession of photographic evidence of absolutely everything before you take that step of reporting someone for benefit fraud.

You should apply.

This is disingenuous. If a preliminary investigation finds there is possible fraud, benefits can be stopped. Even if there is in fact no fraud found - by which time someone is likely to have ended up in poverty and debt from which recovery is very difficult.

I’m guessing you probably haven’t grown up in areas where it is prevalent
Where it is boasted as a badge of honour
Where people pass around advice what to say and do to be successful

Or you wouldn’t be so perplexed by people admitting to it.

A pp upthread has spoken of this too

They rarely do though do they. Weird that

Instead resorting to name calling
It’s pathetic

No I haven’t and sure I can believe there are some places like that 99% of the uk isn’t. Genuinely I can’t get too worked up by someone living in an obscure poor place doing such a thing doubt it has too much effect on the economy.

What I can get worked up about is the 99% of benefit fraud reporters who are just paranoid or spiteful. What were you doing when you were 21? Dealing with some miserable bitch twice your age with a vendetta trying to get you and your kids evicted and spreading rumours because she couldn’t comprehend someone actually gets on with their child’s father?

And now picking on disabled people.

Take me for instance, I just walked past the benefits office looking a bit sad one day and they invited me in and gave me a grand a week and a car

That made me genuinely laugh out loud. Brilliant

People can’t see my disability but I’m lucky and I don’t have to claim benefits. I’d hate to think someone would report me for fraud if I did.

I think people should be given the grace to manage their disabilities and other people should stay the fuck out of their business.

Yes, I chuckled at this too.