do i warn someone that they have been reported for benefit fraud

[FirstnLast]

a friend come round today she was very upset and crying, she is really depressed, shewas telling me about her big debt's, she and her husband couldn't pay the rent this week, or the children school photographs, she told me that she hit an all time low last night and reported someone we both know to benefits, she told me that she was so sick of not making 'ends meet' and this person just goes around 'spend spend spend' like they have not got a care in the world and brags about what she has brought that week......

this person she has reported had a 6 and an 8 year old sons and has been living with her boyfriend for the past 12/18 months both are working and both are claiming as single people, what do i do? do i warn this person that she has been reported? or what?

why? the deed is done and good for your friend I say - I hate benefit fraud

Keep out of it IMO

i'm new to mumsnet what does imo mean?(sorry!)

does anyone know what will benefits do?

No, keep out of it. This situation cannot end well and the less you are involved the better!

In my opinion

Oh, IMO is "in my opinion"

I can understand why she was so upset, but I hope she knows for definate that they are comitting benefit fraud, because they will be hauled in and have to have an interview under caution, and they are not nice.

Don't say anything. They can't change it and the less you have to do with it the better. Sadly i don't think this will make your friend feel any better. But agree it's shit when you work hard to make ends meet and be honest and others flaunt it when they are being dishonest.

they are comitting benefit fraud 110%

No because they will ask you who reported them.

Unless you tell them, they will believe it was you.

You're in a no-win situation here.

Not sure if it is true, but I heard someone needs to be reported 3 seperate times before they investigate.

I can imagine that's true total - otherwise, how would they have the resources to do it? There must be thousands of malicious allegations made every year

What purpose would warning them serve ? If they are innocent then they simply have to tell the truth, if not then you give them an opportunity to concoct a story . They'd also want to know how you know and who shopped them. Keep well out.

(In fact, to get investigating everyone who ever got reported, they'd have to employ all the people who got reported to investigate themselves. It brings to mind East Germany, where at one time, 5 million people out of a population of 17 million, were STASI informants - so nearly a third of the population were informing on the other 2/3.)

My mother got reported just the once and was investigate for 3/4 months before they interviewed her and her Dp, they knew where she shoped, where she and her DP spent there free time and so on!

They will believe it was you if you say something! Just keep out of it, HTH

It doesn't have to be reported 3 times. I was interviwed under caution on the basis of one letter from some and some bothced surveliance which I don't think actualy ever took place.

They will interview on one report alone, they won't wait and get more evidence. They interviwed me when I hadn't done anything wrong, and after the interview I realised that they had basically recived this letter and acted on without making any proper enquiries.

Extraordinary NM. What resources they must have, in order to do that.