To be angry that a mutual friend is committing benefit fraud!

[166lady]

Myself my husband and our toddler went on a soft play date with my husbands friend, his wife and 2 kids. My husband asked if his friends wife will be going back to work and she said she’s in no rush as she’s getting enough from universal credit to live happily.

My Husbands friend then added that she’s been off work for 2 years as she claimed they live separately (they don’t) and that she has no savings when they do.

I don’t know how much they were claiming but she suggested it was more than what she was getting in maternity pay! I feel angry as myself and everyone I know were scrambling for childcare to go back to work and earn again, and they’re living a fake life

I think, people are doubting is this actually real, because of course there are benefit bashing threads.
And yes, as we know on MN, some posters make things up, to get a reaction.Sad but unfortunately true.

it’s taxpayers’s money. Everyone who pays tax is subsiding her if she is trying to cheat the system so we all have a right to an opinion. It’s our money. If you don’t pay tax and are on benefits because of genuine need, you still have a right to an opinion because she’s taking from the general pot that should be shared out among people in need. We can’t as an economy afford to subsidise endless people who don’t need it.

The point of socialism and therefore benefits, is, from each according to their ability to contribute , to each according to their need.

Do you really not see the irony in what you've said?

You work for the NHS, an underfunded failing organisation that needs every penny it can get from the government to support those in critical need of help. And you support benefit fraud, which literally steals £8bn annually from the government purse. Imagine if that £8bn were directly pumped into the NHS and the good that could do.

Add on the money from Amazon as well as the fraud losses and there would be a lot of the poorest people better off. Those who can't get council housing or a dentist for a start.

Give your head a wobble and see how things are connected. Fraud isn't a victimless crime.

Correction, it's £9.5bn in fraud and errors!

• "Benefit fraud and error cost £9.5 billion in overpayments during 2024-2025, equivalent to 3.3% of total benefit spending".

Do you know exactly how much they have in savings? Why do these people tell Tom dick and harry they're doing fraud? I've never ever heard anyone saying this. How idiotic.

I personally wouldn't but report them if it will make you feel better.

I wouldn’t hesitate in reporting her, she’s a leech.

If her savings are over the threshold she’d eventually be caught anyway. But I’d still report her for falsely claiming her partner doesn’t live with her as although DWP can cross reference financial accounts, addresses, even social media accounts, that issue won’t be investigated unless they get a tip off.

a friend whose husband is a coercive bastard told me she claims UC because he won’t give her and their two DC money. She’s broke. She works privately as a cleaner when not doing her min wage PT job. I’m not going to dob her in. She works fucking hard and is in an impossible situation as her H won’t leave their social housing they’re joint tenants in.

I’d leave it only because she will get caught and the consequences of that will be bigger in time. Let karma deal with it.

If you know it to be true then just report her. You can do it anonymously online. Don't expect much to come of it though as they seem to get away with it for years. Benefit fraud is rife in so many ways, self employed people doing cash in hand is rife, people claiming to be single, people giving loads of money away and then claiming UC, exaggerating things for disability benefits. They are cracking down so people do need to be more careful.

The claiming to live apart doesn't really work anymore, they eventually get caught and I find it odd that people actually talk about it IRL. I've never known anyone to broadcast that info.

Very noble of you. Must be nice to be so comfortable that youre happy for fraud to be given the green light..

Report it.

And in todays “this is bullshit & never happened…”

I did care about these things, sadly I no longer do, the uneven levels of wealth and the two tier benefit system causes me to give no fucks.
When people are receiving more for not working than working, when basic services are not available despite the massive budget, while a big part of the community since 2022 are living in hotels, working, no electricity or heating bills or rent, free GP and hospital services, others not in hotels placed at the top of the housing lists, entire new build estates.
So therefore I no longer care if Gina or Mary are defrauding the very corrupted system.

Former friend shortly. A thief by another name. Please report it.

I wish the same seriousness was taken to tax dodgers who are thieves as well, however two wrongs don't make a right.

So, OP, now that you know about this fraudulent behaviour, what are you going to do about it?

Are you going to report?

Or are you going to be quietly complicit while moaning about it on MN?

OP hasn’t come back to the thread so it’s the usual fictitious bollocks.

Yes on my HCP millions I'm rolling dawg

@ShanghaiDiva yes.There was something on here someone bragging the other day, about making it their mission to p* people off, making up stories every day, about the welfare state.They said it makes their day!! It’s just getting a bit ridiculous, it’s every day now, MN know, but are unable to do anything about it.

Doesn’t it though? I know people that have done it for years. They aren’t broadcasting it as such, more asking people not to post pictures on social media of them together etc on days out or holidays and why. One was investigated due to irregular deposits (so they must monitor bank accounts?) but the father had mail sent to his parents house and stayed there a couple of nights a week, and so nothing was proven.

I agree, we should direct our fury at the the untouchable oligarchs.

I’m assuming if this is true that the savings are in the husband/ partners name that she claims not to live with.

crazy, isn't it. Maybe police should just hang around in pubs and coffee shops with dictaphones since everyone's out there merrily announcing their crimes.

What about the fact that all of us taxpayers are subsidising businesses who's employees have to pay benefits because their employers don't pay a living wage?
It's the wealthy, the people who own everything who are ripping us all off.
The system is set up by the rich and powerful to preserve existing power structures.
Is it any wonder that those at the bottom try to exploit the system as well?

You have presumably reported them? They won’t know it’s you if they’re telling people all of this so freely…