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Original poster

Would you shop them?

90 replies

hercules · 27/04/2004 21:45

Dh's cousin who has a wife and 3 kids is frauding the benefit system (99.9 sure).

They were renting privately then he "hit" her after 15 years of marriage which resulted in him being arrested and her with kids going to a b& b where he joined them.
She was given a large house where he also lived. About one year later they "bought" a large house despite only him working on a low wage and the house being at least £250,000.
They have lots of money now, bought new people carrier, big tv etc and she has no intentions of going to work.
We couldnt work out how they managed it as they are on a far less income than we are but we struggle.
They will not give out their land line number and when dh did get it from his aunt his wife answered it and not realisign it was dh said her husband didnt live there. Her husband then phoned dh bakc and saidhe'd been on the toilet.
Dh's aunt today said to him why dont we calim single parent benefit and get a house, that it is possible to claim single parent benefit and get your mortgage paid by claiming to rent from someone.
Dh explained why we wouldnt do that and realised that is what his cousin is gdoing. Dh wouldnt dream of shopping them but I have to say it does annoy me as we work so hard and pay lots of taxes but they do have 3 kids and I would hate tobe responsible for the parents being sent to prison.
It does irritate me that they are taking advantage of a system meant for people in need and i tell myself that it sets a poor example to their kids.
What would you do?

OP posts:
Sonnet · 28/04/2004 10:02

Havn't read all this thread - yet, just wanted to make a point:
Maiseystar: you say you hate being on benefits - BUT in your 1st post you say: "im on benefits as am single parent and have chosen to stay at home with ds now 3.6."
You are lucky to be able to "Choose".

Sonnet · 28/04/2004 10:14

I do think it is dishonest - as is tax evasion by the way!
Whether I could bring myself to "shop" them I sdon't know....

Nutcracker · 28/04/2004 10:17

We fell out with dp's family for similar reasons.
We borrowed some money off his parents as we desperatly needed a new car. We were struggling to make the repayments and his mom and dad kept going on and on about how stupid we were, because if i said dp had moved out then i could claim income support and get the rent paid and we'd have loads of money.
We kept on telling them that we weren't prepared to do that, but they kept going on and on until i exploded and told them exactly what i thought of them and the rest of their kids, who all claim for everything going. Dp's sister has even got herself diagnosed as scitzophrenic (sp ??) to get incapacity benefit. Her neighbour was already doding the same thing, so he told her how to act and what to say and they believed her. They now have a brand new people carrier and neither of them work.

We really struggle sometimes but there is no way i would claim for something i wasn't entitled too. I'd rather be broke, than have the fear of someone knocking on my door every day.

Sonnet · 28/04/2004 10:22

How very well said Nutty....

Lisa78 · 28/04/2004 10:22

I'd shop them hercules! I worked for the DSS and I know just how much money goes on fraudulent claims - and the more that goes on fraudulent claims, the less goes into other areas of government spending, such as schools, roads etc. Besides, bottom line is, they are stealing. The DSS have a fraud dept and you can give details anonymously, they will investigate and if there is no wrongdoing, no harm done. If the claim is fraudulent, they won't be doing it much longer

Maisystar, I was a single parent on benefits with my DS1 and I "chose" to stay at home too, for 5 years. But its not a free choice exactly Sonnet, its bloody hard being a sp on benefits, its barely enough to live on and there is definitely a stigma attached. Maisystar may well be in the same situation as I am, that in returning to work, she would be on the same or less money than she is on benefits (once you take in to account childcare, travel, help with council tax etc) and its simply not worth it. But that doesn't mean she is happy to be on benefits, just that its the best choice she can make for herself and her child with very restricted options

Lisa78 · 28/04/2004 10:23

sorry, same situation as I was
Must preview!

misdee · 28/04/2004 10:25

lol at being able to choose. i know that post wasnt directed at me, but still made me laugh. to be able to 'choose' to live on benefits is a joke. benefits pay the smallest amount of money, less than minimum wage i belive. everyone gets child benefit, if u claim income support or anything then it is taken into account as 'earnings' even tho those working get it. if i was pout of work and on benefits (basic benefits, no extras like we get atm) i'd be out looking for work as its a pittance. I wont get into what we get as people are shocked by it, but we are def better off not working atm.

StuartC · 28/04/2004 10:29

Parasites - who needs them?
I pay £330 tax and £160 NI each month - I'm working nightshifts to pay for these bloodsuckers.
Shop them.

Janstar · 28/04/2004 10:30

Whatever happened to right and wrong?

This is wrong and should be stopped. It's because of people like this that others who have genuine need have to manage on small amounts, and feel embarrassed when they shouldn't have to.

Not to mention the hardworking people who have to pay higher and higher taxes because of it.

I would shop them right now, and not feel any remorse about it. My only proviso would be that I wouldn't do it if it was going to cause dissent between my husband and myself.

Lisa78 · 28/04/2004 10:31

I wouldn't tell my husband Janstar

Twinkie · 28/04/2004 10:38

Shop them or give me their name and address and I will - I don't come to work and pay my taxes and I am sure that no one else here does for people like this to take advantage of us, I think it is your social duty to shop these dishonest people - I would without a thought!!

Sonnet · 28/04/2004 10:51

Misdee this wasn't directed at you at all, I have followed yout threads in the past. - Maiseystar was the one that used the word "choose" and I quote: "im on benefits as am single parent and have chosen to stay at home with ds now 3.6." - maybe this is an unfortunate choice of words from her...She possibly would be better off if she did go to work but she has chosen to stay at home and bring up her son - a good decision. BUT there are many mothers, myself included so there is resentment here, that would like to stay at home and bring my children up but have to go to work.
Don't get me wrong Misdee I don't have a problem at all with benefits. The benefit system is there to help people who CANNOT work not those who CHOOSE not too. As I said, maybe an unfortunate choice of word by maiseystar

Tortington · 28/04/2004 11:06

i wonder about the motives.
if they have a bigger tv than you and a better car than you is that why? is that a good motive. i suspect that is what is pissing you off, but its great to be able to take the moral high ground to back it up too.

i never shopped anyone and i knew plenty. becuase of the children. benefits are a pittance. if they can get an extra £50 then so be it. if it makes their miserable existance a little easier then good luck to them. if they can fiddle the gas meter - which they do - good.

i think the real shame here is the motives - they have a bigger car, a better tv, a nicer house. i wish them well. you dont know their circumstances well enough. my BIl claims benefits illegally and has a better telly than me. he gets it from crazy georges shop. "crazy" because the interest rates at legalised extortion. i have a better car than he does. but mine is on HP. he has a dishwasher. i have to wash the pots by hand. they eat chips and beans and 15p bread for their tea. last night i had pasta and meatballs and grapes for afters - i have apples and bananas in a frut bowl. they dont own a fruit bowl. my children are getting a better education by virtue of where i live than his kids are. my kids get a better healthcare system by virue of where we live than they do.

societies inequalities are so wide it saddens me that most do not see it. have we turned into the states eyes and ears? how very frightening.

Slinky · 28/04/2004 11:14

I think I would "shop" them.

I wish I had done that years ago when I was at school. There was a couple my mum and I knew, both didn't work and claiming all sorts of benefits yet able to buy new cars regularly, latest music systems/TVs, several foreign holidays a year etc.

And then, on the other side, you had my mum bless her, a single parent, slogging her guts out to bring up me and my brother - she had 2 jobs on the go (cleaning morning/evenings) and her daytime job.

And it really p*** me off to watch my mum doing all this and this couple sat on their backside all day.

But what really made me so angry that I could hit someone was when a few years back, my mum was diagnosed with cancer and needed time off work whilst she recovered from chemo, radiotherapy and surgery - she found she "wasn't entitled" to any benefits whilst she was off work.

And this is going on - people claiming benefits fraudently, whilst others are being told "no, not entitled to anything" whilst dealing with long-term sickness.

marialuisa · 28/04/2004 11:18

But custardo there is a big difference between scraping by and fiddling the gas meter 'cos otherwise the kids would go cold and what Hercules describes. Her relatives aren't making their kids lives tolerable, the family are living quite a lavish sounding lifestyle.

Personally I have no probs with being "the state's eyes and ears" when people are doing things that are wrong!

tigermoth · 28/04/2004 11:20

beansprout, just wanted to say I am appalled at your situation. Your partner sounds incredibly self sacrificing. I am so sorry you have to put with such nasty comments from his ex.

Hercules, I know of a similar family claiming lots of benefits. There have 4 children, the husband moved out but lives just round the corner and is a such a frequent visitor that the wife became pregnant again a year ago....

But, no - I would not shop them. I would think of the children. If the parents were under extreme stress due to going to court, facing big fines and possibly prison, they might take this out on their children somehow - might not be able to stop themselves.

In your case would consider scaring your dh's cousin, though. It might do the family a favour in the long run. If they end this fraud, they won't risk the fines and prison. How about collecting lots of goverment literature on benefit fraud, putting it in a brown envelope, typing your cousin's name and address, put 'private and confidential' on the envelope - make it all look as official as possible in other words - then post it to them? Perhaps even sending it recorded delivery, so they have to sign for it.

Sonnet · 28/04/2004 11:22

I think that is why I couldn't shop them - I'd be concerned that resentment was behind it...I'd be quite happy for someone else to though

Sonnet · 28/04/2004 11:24

Thanks for reminding me Tigermoth...I ment to say as well beansprout that your situation is so so unfair....

Twinkie · 28/04/2004 11:24

Does not really matter what is behind it - they are breaking the law - this above all else should mean something to you.

mummytojames · 28/04/2004 11:28

i wouldnt shop them but i would warn them that someone could and there takeing a very high risk

Sonnet · 28/04/2004 11:44

Yeah maybe Twinkie - just glad I'm not hercules - I';d worry about the children.
What incenses me more than the law breaking is that the benefits system is for people who CANNOT work not those who CHOOSE not to.

dinosaur · 28/04/2004 12:02

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Tortington · 28/04/2004 12:03

marialusa, i was trying to make the point that appearances can be deceptive. they may appear to have a much better lifestyle - is this only down to benefit fraud or as i would suspect loans and HP? so grass them up to the benefits - they have to pay back what they owe on top of starting a new household - maybe kids moving schools etc. and loans. maybe they are only fiddling a small sum. maybe they are living the life of bling bling - who knows. whick is my point really.

bunny2 · 28/04/2004 12:05

Shop them. My dh and I pay so much tax to subsidise these scroungers, it makes me really cross and I would get a huge amount of satisfaction from shopping them.

Tortington · 28/04/2004 12:06

and if you can find a mortgage lender as dino mentioned below. can you tell me - am rapidly thinking of becomming a single parent - may as well get a quarter of a million pound house for my trouble.

seriously hubby is on a contract and if he doesnt find work am gonna kick him out on his arse. so an expensive house would be just the thing to console me. please let me know how this is done - so i can do it too

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