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

Its very real though. I know a few folk who "claim to live apart". Meanwhile ive just incurred £250 worth of charges because I stupidly declared a 19k loan i had to get to consolidate marital debt (getting divorced) and they withheld my payment for 3 weeks and to top it all off, my bank does a "rounds up" feature. I was asked for an account statement for xxx which I was adamant I did not have. What indidnt realise was the "round up" is actually an account the bank sets up. They withheld my payment for £2.90!!!!

I told them I wish I hadnt declared it, went in on wed and all debts were paid on the friday. But im now £250 down and have no recourse.

So report her then.

Do you create threads to slag them off and then not return to reply to anyone on the thread also though? Pretty common on here now for OPs to create goady benefit based threads and never return to them.

Report it otherwise dont complain about it as youre facilitating it

where is the bashing ??? I read about fraud.

I am really surprised that she admitted benefit fraud to a casual acquaintance. But if this is true, report her. She won’t know it’s you that reported.

Well said.

The amount of fraudulent benefit claimants that randomly tell MNers the most intricate details of their fraud is unreal.

I dont know anyone who is committing benefit fraud because I dont ask people about their personal or financial affairs. I am not interested. And I dont discuss mine with neighbours, randoms and relatives. Rubbing other people's noses in it is one sure way to get snitched.

I imagine that people who get off with it are pretty close mouthed in discussing their affairs. They drive modest cars and live in ordinary homes. They do not entertain lavishly or have an overtly affluent lifestyle. Probably have almost no socia media presence, except of the most innocuous kind. And certainly do not post from expensive holiday desitinations or energetic sporting venues where they are a participant.

Do you know how long that takes to come to light? I’m pretty sure she’s spent most of it. Will they tell her she needs to pay it back? And how if she doesn’t work?

Apologies for not replying- I have been away all day and only just managed to read through the thread after putting the kids to bed.

This was in NO way a rage bait or made up story, they didn’t give details but they clearly stated they have lied about their living arrangements and their savings to qualify for UC. My DH has known this friend for years but I’ve not met his wife much, it was a surprise to both of us that they openly said it and that’s exactly what angered me more. DH thinks we should just leave it and it’ll catch up to them

Report them then.
It is difficult though. It will mess things up a lot for them. Maybe have a chat about how the DWP are clamping down on fraud and hint heavily that they might get caught out, and you are concerned for them.

I reported someone once. They were working full time and claiming benefit. Also common knowledge was that she'd got herself pregnant to avoid jail on a charge of large scale fraud.

Report it. The false claimants are part of the reason for decent folk paying tax increases.

A potential problem for OP and her husband is that if OP reports then the woman and her partner will put two and two together and realise who reported them, which OP's husband may be worried about.

It’s an anonymous forum, nothing is verified, but you believe every post on MN is factual! Do you believe everything you read online/newspapers as well🙄

Probably only following government initiatives ? I'd leave it be.

I once got talking to a couple in a pub who were boasting about fiddling benefits- something along the lines of " she's pretending to be my carer." Didn't know them from Adam. And they didn't know I worked in the DWP fraud department. People are idiots.

Yes of course you have! Do you regularly start posts, then leave them.Sorry but l don’t believe this is true.
Apparently you’re not even going to report it! Which is what many on here have said to do, instead of whinging about it, but it’s ok you have time to come onto MN and start another thread on it 💩

I have zero sympathy thst 'it will mess things up for them'. It's pretty messed up that working people not claiming benefits, yet still struggling, have to pick up the tab for a welfare system out of control already, without fraudsters making it worse.

So if it’s not rage bait… what’s the point in the post? You can’t be bothered engaging with the thread to discuss it so it isn’t that, and you don’t plan to report her regardless. But the thread isn’t just to gain a reaction? Rubbish

There are children involved though. They wont be unaffected by this.
I never said to just ignore it either. She might just need reminding that it is fraud.

Unfortunately the fact the children are going to be affected is on the parents. I’m pretty sure they know it’s fraud, because there’s a reason they’ve decided to say they’re living apart, something many people do to play the system. We all have a responsibility to report these situations when we hear about them, because as well as trying to keep the Welfare bill down, it will also ultimately affect all genuine claimants when the bill becomes so large that the government will have no choice but to cut it down drastically. For everyone.

Because its so common that they literally don’t see any wrong in doing it! The people ( especially on mumsnet) who constantly deny that this is happening ( especially on the disability threads) are so out of touch with reality its unbelievable!

You can’t hide savings for long. 🙄

Are there any self employed tradesmen who pay all their tax? I’ve not met one who hasn’t expressed a preference for cash.