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.

Its awful and thats why I had to say when it was lumped in with Fibromyalgia and ME and anxiety as something easy to fake. The criteria literally cannot be faked and the issue is incredibly debilitating so I can only assume its someone that doesnt understand the diagnostic criteria required to have a diagnosis of hypermobile EDS nor its impact.

I just wouldn't know anyone well enough to be certain they were committing fraud. Unless I lived with them I don't think I could make a judgement call on the severity of someone else's illnesses.

Yes you can spend it on what you like but it's not there to buy carers in. You're the one who needs to do some research you've clearly no idea what carers allowance actually is.

I’m sorry you’re having such a hard time OP.

I can well imagine how difficult this is for you to see and watch.

I am not sure what would happen if you report but it does sound an extreme case. Could well be some sort of mental illness like munchausen syndrome I guess.

Very sad she’s bringing her child into all this though.

It’s a spectrum isn’t it. I’m diagnosed with EDS and there’s no way I’d qualify for PIP, etc. but when I told someone I know with EDS that I’d just been diagnosed she said straight away she’d help me fill the PIP paperwork out to get it, coach me what to say, etc. she claims for everything. Says she can’t prepare meals, do personal hygiene on her own, etc. but she lives by herself 🤷‍♀️. She doesn’t have anyone come in and do stuff for her.

obviously I might deteriorate in the future but I’m not claiming anything now. I do agree though it would be a hard diagnosis to fake. The criteria are strict, lots of people on fb groups I’m on think they have it and can’t get diagnosed.