AIBU to consider reporting someone I believe is committing benefit fraud?

[Hereforadviceee]

Would you report someone for benefit fraud?

Just that. It’s someone I used to know quite well but drifted apart from mainly due to this and from time to time I feel angry that they have made a living out of coning the system and quite often people around them. They claim they can’t walk or leave the house but go to at least 6 countries a year and do a mix of sports regularly they post online.

It hits a nerve as a lot of my family members are genuinely disabled and have struggled to get the right support. This person doesn’t have to pay council tax has every benefit you can think of and will literally use a wheelchair whenever their pip stops then go back to the sports and hiking holidays they do regular whilst claiming they can’t work and they even have been awarded carers to come in and help them. I’ve known this person for nearly 2 decades and they started this in their teens and would often brag about it and how to do it and even helped other friends at the time get awarded benefits so it’s not a case I don’t know them enough to know it’s bullshit. I always thought they would grow out of it as their life progressed.

I don’t think I actually will mainly because I’m so worried they would guess it was me and they are known to be very vindictive such as reporting people to social services or emailing job places to try ‘ ruin people ‘but I guess I’d like to vent as myself and so many people work their socks off to break even each month.

Yes and thats exactly my issue with threads like this because thats the intention behind them, to drum up hate and vitriol against benefits claimants. And its all, oh no only the ones scamming, but its not because what it does is makes all disabled people feel judged and worried.

These posts are just to drive and encourage nastiness so dont think its helping genuine disabled people, its really not. It just encourages the very thing that makes your Husband feel so uncomfortable.

My husband gave up a job he absolutely loved due to his health, and lost 3/4 of his income. His benefits just about cover our food bill. And because I work and we have a mortgage and don't rent, there's nothing else we can claim. He does have a motobility car but,as I said, he's got to have something nice coming out of it!

You can apply for carers allowance and sort out your own carers. Therefore, you can receive carers allowance, and spend that money how you wish, no one needs to prove they have, actually employed a carer.

The disabled person cant apply for carers allowance
The carer has to. and its £86 / week.

A disabled person can apply for carers allowance, aswell as attendance allowance etc. Research ...

This is completely incorrect. Carer's Allowance can only be claimed by someone providing 35 hours or more per week of regular care to someone in receipt of a qualifying benefit such as PIP, DLA, ADP, AFIP or Attendance Allowance. The claimant of CA also has to meet other criteria including earnings threshold.

No they cant as they are not caring
I have been claiming carers allowance for 12 years now
Do your own research

w

Yes a disabled person can apply for CA in respect of caring for someone else for 35 hours a week or more however this must not conflict with the needs that they claim their own disability benefits for. For example, if someone claims PIP or similar based on difficulty with cooking/washing and bathing/taking and managing medication, it will absolutely be flagged if they claim to be offering similar care to another. I have dealt with countless co-caring cases as a welfare benefits specialist and whilst caring for someone else as a disabled person is possible and claiming CA for doing so is possible, it is not as simple as you are indicating it is, nor in the context you claim ie claiming it then using it for carers for oneself.

Also to add, you state a disabled person can also 'apply for attendance allowance etc.' Vague and misleading at best. Attendance Allowance can only be claimed by someone over State Pension age who meets the criteria of need/supervision for substantial time either during the day (lower rate) or both day and night (higher rate.) Working age, only PIP can be claimed, or in Scotland ADP. Under 16s its DLA (and the equivalent in Scotland.) Some PA claimants may stay on DLA depending on where they fell into the age criteria. I've only referred to non means tested benefits, not contribution based or UC.

It really is best if you have no real understanding of the relevant benefits not to post such vague and misleading info.

I am not completely incorrect. My answer was that disabled people can apply for the benefits themselves. Yes you are right with what you say, but l never mentioned the criteria you have to meet to apply for these benefits . My point was, disabled people can apply themselves, l never mentioned anything else....

But its not against the disabled community, its against those faking disability. And yes there are loads that do and yes I know a few, including those that get blue badges.
I am disabled, so I wouldn't drum up hate against myself!

Why don't you SPEAK to her first about your concerns?
If you won't own it, and haven't got the moral courage to speak to her, for i suspect that your motives are coming from spite or jealousy.

Yes you did, and this was the start of some extremely misleading and incorrect information:

It is drumming up hate against disabled people. A lot of us have been reported because we don't fit people's idea of disability. I've had another disabled person telling me I'm not that disabled. By that point I'd been registered partially sighted for about 3 years so am clearly disabled. I've even had people with the same diagnosis tell me I'm lying because I managed yesterday or because they manage

It's best you don't have to be so mean. I was just saying a disabled person can apply for certain benefits, and yes, l do know what l am talking about because my child is disabled. Thank you

How come that everyone i grew up with is able to cook?
Didn't adhd exist in the 20th century?
If it was undiagnosed how were people able to cook even though they had undiagnosed adhd?

Nobody is being mean
We are just pointing out your post was very misleading

I'm not being mean, welfare benefits is my profession it just doesn't help when there is misleading info on these posts. I've spent over a decade doing this work and one thing I do know is how important it is for people to have as little confusion as possible with what is already a confusing system for many. Also with a disabled child you would surely know that CA cannot be claimed in the way you stated.

We all get caught in the dragnet though, including yourself. Remember that!

This ☝️

@ToffeeCrabApple
I agree with most of your post and am definitely group A but disagree that diagnosis for things like Ehlers Danlos is not possible
I’m past 60 and had health problems since I was under 30, I’ve tried for years to get health professionals to listen to me and join up the dots - it’s only in the last 2 years I’ve finally been diagnosed with a rarer type of ED and am currently under neurology, rheumatology, orthopaedics, urology and gastro/bowel consultants

I did explain it upthread so wont go into it again, but no it very much hurts all disabled people and is intended to make us feel shitty and like we shouldn't do anything, be happy or have any kind of life. Trust me these threads arent here because they are worried about a few cheating the system.

Absolutely, to say yhat Ehlers-Danlos can be faked, even the hypermobile type, implies they dont actually understand the illness or the criteria

I recently went to tribunal with a client with Ehlers-Danlos, who had fought for years to have their condition's impact on their daily life recognised. It was one of the most brutal panels I have dealt with, and whilst we won, my second hand experience of the condition as a non sufferer (I have supported other clients with same) has left me in no doubt it is one of the more debilitating.

Report.The DWP are finally investigating PIP claimants which is why the estimated fraud rate has trebled.