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

Interesting thread this! My DP's ex (BM to my 3 stepkids) is claiming all the benefits under the sun and working pretty much full time (during the summer) for cash in hand! This really annoys me as we pay extortionate amounts each month on CSA, both work 50 hours a week each and struggle! She however, gets a 3 bedroomed victorian terrace house rent free, doesnt pay council tax, on top of the benefits she gets and can afford clothes, mobile phones, booze, fags etc. I have heard your opinions about members of family but what would you do in my situation? Would you grass up BM?

You are entitled to receive incapacity/disabilty benefit if you have engina and heart problems. Whether it is tested on saving etc I was led to beleive that you weren't allowed over 4k of savings to clain the benefit but don't quote me on this as this was many years ago when my gran was living!

SadSam
I wouldn't hesistate to grass anyone who cheated so blantantly as your dh's ex. Sorry, but that makes my blood boil.

to clarify, dla eligibilty is based not on which conditions you have but the effect on your life. so some people with angina/diabetes might qualify, but generally, IME, the effect of these conditions tends not to be great enough to satisfy the dbu. so if heis on dla, he's either secretly much worse than he's letting on (!) or he's really exaggerated, and his doctor is supporting him, plus with these conditions he would usually have gone through a medical with a DBU doctor.

Incapacity Benefit-tests are different, easier, and angina/diabetes/repeated heart attacks would be much more likely to qualify you. It is not means tested. however, Income Support can also be claimed based on inability to work. the same department deals with both and people often recieve both (legally). Savings ARE taken into account for Income Support but NOT Incapacity Benefit.

sadsam-

If she has intentionally defrauded the DWP she is definately facing having to repay it all, plus possibly extra, but ultimately, if it is this calculated, and if the CSA are also involved, I'd say she could ultimately be facing criminal proceedings and this can lead to imprisonment as well as (obviously) a criminal record.

So whether I reported her would depend on whether I thought she (and her kids) deserved this.

Thank you expatinscotland and merglemergle. I am torn, I hate what she is doing, I hate the fact that all honest people are paying for people like that, I hate the fact that she is better off than us and we work all the hours! However, as much as I would love her to to get her comupence, I do not want the kids to suffer, they are my priority!

People like her mean my children - and others - live in poverty, sadsam. People like her mean the stereotype of lone parents as lazy, good for nothing layabouts continues. People like her mean that when the Tax Credit Office makes mistakes on the award amounts of working poor families, the IR treats those poor families like thieves.

It goes WAY beyond just her and those immediately around her.

People like her mean less money to feed my own children.

She's working "pretty much" full time in Summer. Summer in Britain is how many weeks?

What's "pretty much"?

And the rest of the time, what?

And what's your motivation? Concern for the common good?

I really think people have to ask themselves why they would report other people to the authorites for anything. Is it genuine concern for the common good, because these particular individuals are taking the piss, or is it because they are people you personally don't like? When I'm confronted with people like this, I always ask myself one question: if it were xxxx (someone I like and sympathise with), would I pick up the phone and shop him/ her to the authorities, because in spite of the fact that I really like them and respect them, and know they've had a hard time, I think what they're doing is so morally wrong and damaging to the wider society, that they deserve the threat of prison?

I've never yet come across a case where I can honestly say, yes, I'll do this because I genuinely believe it's in the public interst, not just because I personally feel malice toward this individual (and believe me, I've no lack of malice going on! }

Expat, the IR would treat you like a thief with or without benefit fraudsters. That is their nature.

If she's on income support she wont be receiving anymore than £10 per week of the money you are paying csa, however much you pay. I am on IS have 2 kids get rent and council tax paid, after paying all bills and things i have on average £50 a week left to buy food nappies clothes shoes entertainment and anything else we need. I smoke, i go out occassionally, i drink occassionally, i have a mobile phone and i wear clothes. Im not working or commiting fraud in anyway but if i didnt give myself a few luxuries i think id be a pretty miserable person and I know from experience im a much better mummy when im happy so things like decorating my house, new furniture etc will just have to wait.
Sadsam bm may well be commiting major fraud and living the high life but could be she is just trying to get her and kids a little extra cash for something. She may well have run up big debts getting the things you see or she may feel inadequate with you both working being succesful etc and trying to put on a bit of a show when you are around when actually she could be really struggling. It could be exactly what you say it is but i would be very very sure before shopping her

Thank you for your comments. I see where you are coming from, however, part of it is that I hate her yes, but also part of it is that I dislike all people who commit benefit fraud. I'm afraid that as you do not know her you do not understand. She has been done for benefit fraud before when she was still with my DP (unbeknown to him as he was in the forces at the time). If she spent the money on the kids then I would have no problem whatsoever. However, none of the money goes on kids it goes on drink, pot, cigarettes etc. All stuff for herself. When we pick the kids up they are starving, they are never fed properly unless they come to ours or their nans! When we have the kids each month, the have only 1 change of clothes each packed as she says she cant afford new ones for them, so we end up buying them both new clothes when they are here. Then she phones/writes to DP complaining that she has no money and that he has to pay for this that and the other, then the next week we hear she is going on holiday to Turkey with her friend! We already pay £400 a month CSA and yes I know only a small percentage of it goes to BM, but it was her choice not to get a job, she has ready made childminders in her own road (her mum and sister in law) both who are always saying they will have the children while she goes and gets a job. However she has decided she doesnt want to work legally. "pretty much" full time in the summer means that she lives in a holiday resort and works in a hotel through the summer. She (om her own words) "cant be arsed" to work during the winter! She constantly uses her situation to her benefit, she has just dragged us to solicitors to deal with contact as after 6 years she has decided that DP seeing kids once a month is not enough. (We live over 200 miles away and it costs over £120 in petrol each time we have them so cannot have them more than once a month). The solicitor cost us over £500 and cost her nothing as she gets legal aid. What did it achieve? Absolutely nothing! On top of that if you want clarification of why I believe she should not get away with what she gets away with, 4 years ago she was banned from driving for 3 years for being twice over the drink drive limit, not that unusual maybe, but she had the kids in the car with her at the time!!!! What sort of a parent puts their 4 and 3 year olds in that kind of danger?