Serious Help!!

mrcow

LinasPilibaitisisbatman wrote: »

Come on then.

Tell us what justifies fraud to the tune of upwards of a thousand pounds.

I bet we wait a long time.

You should be warming a nice jail cell right now.

There is no justification.

If the agency reports the OP to the police and they are prosecuted for fraud then yes, they do thoroughly deserve the criminal record that they will get.

But that's not why they've posted. There is no question over guilt. It's already been admitted. What the OP is after is how to move forward from this situation. Clearly they don't owe £10000 as is being stated. If they are reported to the police, then fine, but that's a decision not really for them to make (unless they feel like turning themselves in which I can't really see helping anyone).

cazziebo

I've not been sure whether to add this post or not...

When I worked for an agency we had the same situation. An agency worker was claiming extra days worked over a number of weeks. The dept manager was a bit lax in that they had an intray for time sheets for signing which were then put in the agency box by one of the other agency staff.

We asked the agency worker in to the office and we alerted the police who arrested the person on the spot for fraud. The amount of money was considerable, although the person was on an hourly rate of about £6 per hour. the case did go to court, but the person did not get a custodial sentence.

The client company was a major customer and we agreed to refund about half of what they had paid (hourly wage rate + on costs + margin). The dept manager who had not been checking the time sheets was dismissed by the client company.

I met the agency worker a few years later and he had done quite well. He was working as a team leader in quite a responsible role. He was happy, regretted what he had done, but had moved on.

I'm guessing at that pay rate you had a fairly responsible job, possibly a position of trust. You must understand why the agency and the client company feel aggrieved. You can only repay what you can repay so whether it's £1000 or £10000 is a bit of a detail at this stage. It's the fraud that's the issue.

I can't remember the details of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act but for what are seen as minor crimes not attracting a custodial sentence they don't stay on your record long. Give it some time and this will drop in to your past. Concentrate just now on taking control of this situation and facing up to what you've done. It will be hell, but dealing with it will make you feel better. (Look how bad you are feeling by not dealing with it).

This situation will not go away. Use the support of your friend, go and see them, make them aware of the fact you are willing to make arrangements to repay once the actual sum has been proven. If they think you are avoiding them they are more likely to take legal action.

We do all make mistakes, some of us make bigger mistakes than others. As an earlier post suggested, two wrongs don't make a right but some of our elected leaders have defrauded the public out of way more than £10000.

Good luck

worried_1

Thanks @ Cassie for adding to the post and outlining the experiences you also faced. It is much appreciated.

I am ready to face the issue and in no terms am I running away from the situation.I also have a meeting with the Agency scheduled for next week and my friend will be there for moral support. My medication has kicked in finally,and I was able to hold a conversation with the Agency yesterday without going to bits.

I know that the Agency are within their rights to call the police. But preferably I would have liked to resolve the situation without it going to criminal court, as I know deep down I wouldn't cope well mentally.But at the same time I am just trying to prepare myself for whatever consequences that may follow.

nexuss

LinasPilibaitisisbatman wrote: »

Come on then.

Tell us what justifies fraud to the tune of upwards of a thousand pounds.

I bet we wait a long time.

You should be warming a nice jail cell right now.

I know Linas can be harsh at times but all this does not add up to me.There is 2 sides to a story and the difference between the figures of the OP and the agency are huge in terms of money.I can understand someone booking a few extra hours once but for 2 weeks and for maybe 10k over a long period of time is crazy.

nexuss

worried_1 wrote: »

I ended up putting extra days down on my timesheet at work for the last few months for days and times I wasn't there, and I have been caught out.

You admit you were a fraudster for a few months so it is just the difference between the 1k and the 11k that needs to be sorted.Maybe the agency lost a big contract with the company involved for your fraudulent actions and are so maybe pursuing compensation.

gaz_jones

Just read all the posts. As much as I respect the OP for admitting they have done wrong and trying to get advice, it does sound a bit like she is trying to justify her fraud by having 'other people problems dumped on her'.

When I was working for an agency for a few months as a receptionist we had someone do exactly the same thing.

They claimed for 1 weeks work which they hadn't actually worked. We caught them out and tried to get them to repay the money. They would not agree on the amount so to save us the hassle we called the police. The fraudster was taken to caught but I left my job before the court date so I never found out what the sentence was.

I would imagine they lost miserably and were forced to pay the money back + court costs.

pinkshoes

When you meet with the agency, don't just agree if they say you owe them £10,000. Ask them for a full break down, and don't sign anything until you've read the break down of money owed, and agree with it. Ask them to clarify anything you don't understand or don't agree with.

Also, don't let them threaten you with things like "we won't call the police if you pay back £10,000". This is blackmail.

PasturesNew

I did some temp work the other week and the boss/I compared what was being charged/paid.

Client was charged £12/hour
Temp rate was £7.50/hour
Holiday pay was 10.2%, so £0.90/hour
Employer's NI (10%?) would have cost say another £1

So:
Client paid £12
Agency paid me/Govt £9.40
I took home £6.10

So a back-of-fag-packet calculation might mean the client bill might be twice your take-home pay. The agency might be taking the approach that as they can't trust any of your timesheets, they will repay the client all hours. If this is a major client of theirs they can't afford to lose the contract.

(I didn't include VAT that the client was charged as they'd have claimed that back)