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Benefit cheat - but family member - help?

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  • iamana1ias
    iamana1ias Posts: 3,777 Forumite
    OP, PM me her details and I'll do it.
    I was born too late, into a world that doesn't care
    Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
  • janninew
    janninew Posts: 3,781 Forumite
    ailuro2 wrote: »
    You don't have to tell your husband it was you, do you?:p

    Very true, i was going to put this, but i thought i would have gotten shot down!
    I've just had a look and you can report them online, if you are worried about them tracing your number.
    :heart2: Newborn Thread Member :heart2:

    'Children reinvent the world for you.' - Susan Sarandan
  • zzzLazyDaisy
    zzzLazyDaisy Posts: 12,497 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Just to play Devil's Advocate....

    As far as I know you do not have to be a Registered Childminder to look after child who is a relative (someone correct me if I'm wrong).

    Also the first £20 of NET income is disregarded for IS purposes. So it depends on what she pays for out of the £50, certainly food, sweets, treats etc are obvious. Also as someone who is self employed working from home she is entitled to deduct a certain amount of rent/utility bills (an accountant would be able to advise better than me on this).

    The point is that, maybe the better approach would be to encourage her to declare her earnings as, with good advice, her actual declarable profit may not be much more than the £20 disregard.

    As far as how well she is looking after the two children, but surely that is a matter for the parents - unless of course she is being negligent or putting the children at risk (in which case presumably you would inform the social services?).
    I'm a retired employment solicitor. Hopefully some of my comments might be useful, but they are only my opinion and not intended as legal advice.
  • Hi there

    You don't have to be a registered childminder to care for a relative's child but you do to accept money for it.

    Jane
  • You can report her but I very much doubt if anything will happen to her. You see....they just do not have the staff. They spend so much money on the advertisements about catching benefit thieves, they do not have the money to carry it out.:rolleyes:
    Go placidly amid the noise and the haste and remember what peace there may be in silence.:lipsrseal
  • irishgirl62
    irishgirl62 Posts: 1,548 Forumite
    I agree with tight as souls so many have reported this woman over the last two years as she claims everything kids get free school dinners and lives with a wealthy man and drives a 22k mercedes! she sticks two fingers up to the system and gets away with it!
    I am determined to lose weight!:kisses3:
    Weight loss so far 2 stones 6lbs!! :j:j
  • gizmo111
    gizmo111 Posts: 2,669 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    I like the idea above of encouraging her to register as a childminder and becoming self employed. She would then get tax credits and maybe her income would be better, it would also go a long way to increasing her self esteem. Also in this way SIL 2 could claim for childcare and pay her a proper wage.

    Edit - If there are neglect issues then social services are the place to call.
    Mama read so much about the dangers of drinking alcohol and eating chocolate that she immediately gave up reading.
  • SuziQ
    SuziQ Posts: 3,042 Forumite
    Lazydaisy-it's only ok for a relative to look after a child if they are NOT being paid to do it. Anyone looking after a child on domestic premises and recieving payment must be checked by the local authority and has to become registered. I was a Health Visitor for over 20 years and part of my job as helping social workers assess prospective childminders.
    OP,I don't think your SIL sounds as though she would meet the registration requirements-not unless she changes her attitude completely! As for the other SIL why on earth would you want your most precious gift-your child-looked after by someone so lazy who stimulates them not at all?

    Sorry Janied I took so long posting you had already stated some of this!
    Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it!
  • belfastgirl23
    belfastgirl23 Posts: 8,026 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper I've been Money Tipped!
    JoJoB wrote: »
    Are you jealous of her? Is that what this is about? Would you actually like her life?

    I really hope you never end up on benefits with random busybodies getting all uptight about an undeclared £30 per week. I'm a tax payer and nothing winds me up more than fellow tax payers and their miserly winges at those on the bottom of the socio-economic heap. I don't expect any of you feel the same level of rage towards fat-cat bosses and the way big business drains our tax resources (to the tune of far more than the benefits bill). No, it's easier to put the boot in to the most needy in society isn't it. Why don't you go out and kick a few tramps and refugees while you're at it.

    Or maybe you could take a good look in the mirror, identify a few faults of your own, and work on improving those. Ultimately it will be time better spent.

    couldn't have said it better. Why is it your business anyway? Living on benefits is tough. It's fine as long as your kids don't need new shoes or the sofa doesn't break. An extra £50 a week makes a huge difference at this income level. Give them a break!!!
  • MrsTinks
    MrsTinks Posts: 15,238 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker Name Dropper
    I'd have no qualms at "grassing" her up... fraud or benefit fraud may be "only £50 a week" but guess what? IT'S FRAUD!!!! When does it become NOT ok? At £100 a week? £200? £500? When would you say "it's now serious enough fraud that it needs to be dealt with"?
    I pay my taxes so that benefit thieves can sit on their bums and do nothing and do cash in hand jobs - I have NO problem with the benefits paid to people who need them - none in the least! But I have a SERIOUS problem with someone who thinks it's ok to not declare earnings so that they can still get some of MY hard earned money too!
    Is it jealousy? Am I envious about them earning £50 a week and not declaring it? Nope... I'm flipping furious about someone thinking it's ok to steal or defraud.

    What if it wasn't £50 earnt cash in hand? what if it was someone who put in a false claim about something and got £50 extra benefit every week? Or who every week stole £50 out of a company till? This is no different.
    DFW Nerd #025
    DFW no more! Officially debt free 2017 - now joining the MFW's! :)

    My DFW Diary - blah- mildly funny stuff about my journey
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