benefit fraud

[nailpolish]

i have suspicions my dh's aunt and uncle are claiming benefit they are not entitled too. they are both retired (but not 60 yet IYSWIM) and he used to work for the jobcentre, so i think he may know a few loopholes.

dh would kill me if i grassed them up

thats true. i will wait and see what happens next week

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Incase you decide you need it - 0800 854 440, my friend (who works there) says you call call anon.

i actually thought it may be the opposite pruni

just forgot to add - he is not disabled.

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It depends on the nature of the disability. My stepdad has depression and gets disability allowance. You wouldnt be able to tell the nature of what is wrong with him just by looking at him - so he doesnt look 'disabled' but is officially (hope that makes sense!)

To get his benefits he has to see somebody who assesses him every 6 months at the hospital. It wasnt easy and he sees lotsof people and does workshops weekly.

Does he have learning disabilities? DH gets lower care component DSS b/c of severe dyslexia, dyscalcula and dysgraphia. He also has a speech impediment. He doesn't appear physically disabled, but he is when it comes to things like reading, writing, and maths.

i think he claims it cos he is NIDDM and has angina, has had 3 heart attacks. those were the reasons he took early retirement

heart problems do cause disabilities. jeez when peter was at his fittest he was still struggling. to look at him you wouldnt think he was disabled. i know we had poeple wondering why we moved here as he was quite well at the time.

please dont take offence misdee, obviously peter is a different case

after 3 heart attacks, he will have through rehabiltation a fair few times and must be exhausted a lot.

but if they arent declaring savings, then they may be comitting fraud. you can have around 6k in savings with some benefits.

You don't actually know they are claiming anything fraudulently, do you? The stuff you've posted here is really vague. All you know is that he has had three heart attacks, poor man, has Type 2 diabetes and angina ? isn't that enough for someone to cope with?

sorry to sound harsh but the man is in fine health. he plays shinty!

he is pretty smug about all of this, finds it hard not to boast and this is how my FIL found out, and told dh.

FIL is going to speak to his sister cos he is worried

im not going to do anything, as someone else suggested and i think is a great idea, its dh's family of sorts and im leaving it to them

btw, if he does get disability and is entitled to it, then they will get top ups on other benefits and aunt will be able to claim carers allowence as well.

Someone who has survived three heart attacks, has angina and Type 2 diabetes is not in fine health, no matter how it appears to you. His risk of dropping dead tomorrow is many, many times higher than the 'average' person. Have you spent 24 hours with him? Some people may not immediately appear disabled, but the combination of these diseases will take its toll on him. If he isn't obvously ill now, he's probably stable on medication and diet. But that doesn't mean he's fine. And he may appear OK when you see him, but how do you know what he's like behind closed doors? First thing in the morning? Last thing at night?

hes been on family holidays with us, so yes

Fair enough. But seriously, his long-term outlook isn't great.

when you say he finds it hard not to boast, does he really boast about committing fraud or just that he is getting a bit of cash back at last after working for years - I know my parents would be dead chuffed to get something back out of the system for a change.
If he's boasting about committing benefit fraud, then that part at least is clear cut - whether you report him or not, well, up to you but if he's really boasting about it then someone else might save you the bother

edam, yes i know these things, im a trained nurse with 15 years experience

morrocco - he boasts about "inside info" or something, i havent actually been there, its dh who tells me. he knows i would not agree

mm not sure where I stand on this. I recieve DLA due to mental health problems. To outside people it could seem like nothing is wrong with me etc, but that is not the reality of my life. I disagree with claiming benefits fraudently and I do openly tell people I am on DLA so depending on interprtation could seem like boasting. However due to your uncles past health it is quite possible he is claiming legitimately.

DLA is definitely not easy to get, either. DH's mum had to go through a lot to get it for DH despite his very clear learning disabilities.

my father had a disability allowance that he has recieved for the past 50 years. he is the fittest man i know for his age - worked in heavy manual labour until 65(not sure if he still recieves it now he is retired). drives a motorbike, cycles everyday...... he lost three fingers on his right hand in a work accident(circular saw) at age of 15.

babyonboard-that is shocking. i don't know your full circumstances but you would probably be entitled to a commuity care grant if on Income Support/JSA or else at least a Crisis Loan. If for some reason they couldn't give you either, Social Services could have helped. If this happens again suggest you go to your CAB or other advice agency, they will help you get a loan if nothing else. In extremis there are usually agencies that will deliver a food parcel. Else your midwife should have basic benefits /social services knowlege and should help you. That is just so appalling. Hope you've got it all sorted now. If you need any more help then post-loads of people here know all about benefits.

Nailpolish-are you sure he's on DLA? I ask becuase I am sceptical that he would get it based on his conditions, unless they are severe, as the DBU would argue that none would normally severely affect self-caring or mobility. Could he be on Incapacity Benefit instead? Also suspect that his wife is on Retirement Pension. Savings are not assessed for either so if this is the case they are acting perfectly legally.

Anyway-difficult choice, good luck. I wouldn't report personally but I honestly believe that benefit fraud is far less common that the governement would have us believe. I am far more angry that DLA is so hard to claim and so many people that really need it don't have any chance of suceeding with a claim. In fact, the whole system needs consolodating. Look at tax credits! Also most of the benefit fraudsters I have known (professionally) have been, as it happens, mothers trying to make ends meet, who have actually just made a mistake somewhere, or failed to declare something quite minor. Not saying these are representative, just that this is what I've seen.

But I stress that this is just my personal view. You do what you think is right-not easy, so good luck!