Would you report someone you knew for benefit fraud?

The_mangler

How do you know that something came out of it, the DWP will not pass on the outcome to anybody???

Pollycat

Malory wrote: »

I'm quite curious how the OP knows all this.

My close friends do not know how much I earn, where all my income comes from or how much I pay for Council Tax. (I am not on benefits, BTW.) I don't get to see their payslips, either.

Does the OP see this woman's bank account statement? How does she know who is paying for the things this woman has?

The OP said this:

burtons wrote: »

It does affect me as we had a letter saying our rent is going up by £4, now i will be worse off as my wages haven't gone up. She was at the school friday say that she is going to have her hair cut and it's going to cost £80.

So if she's bragging about paying £80 to have her hair done, I can quite easily believe she's telling people what benefits she gets and how much this new bloke earns.

Malory wrote: »

As someone else said, why should her children suffer for her mistake?)

Sorry, but it's not up to other people to worry about her kids - she should consider the possible impact on her children of being arrested, fined, jailed and removal of benefits BEFORE she breaks the law.
Why is it a 'mistake'?
It states clearly in all DWP documentationthat you MUST tell them if your circumstances change.
I'm sure she's seen the adverts about benefit fraud too.
So, where is the 'mistake'?

Malory wrote: »

As someone else said, you are entitled to work a certain amount of hours and still get benefits. My husband employs someone who is getting DLA. DH reports this person's earnings to the DWP; it is all legal.

If you are going to talk about slippery slopes, what about the slippery slope of people spying on their neighbours and reporting them for every minor incident because 1) they don't get along with their neighbours or 2) they get a nice little reward.

Like Stalinist Russia.

I am bothered more by the idea of not being able to trust my own neighbours than the idea of some woman getting some extra benefit money.

Where does the OP say this woman is working?
We don't know that so I can't see the relevance of this comment.

Malory wrote: »

If you are going to talk about slippery slopes, what about the slippery slope of people spying on their neighbours and reporting them for every minor incident because 1) they don't get along with their neighbours or 2) they get a nice little reward.

Like Stalinist Russia.

I am bothered more by the idea of not being able to trust my own neighbours than the idea of some woman getting some extra benefit money.

Who's talking about 'slippery slopes'?
I thought we were talking about a woman who (according to the OP) is breaking the law by claiming benefits she is not entitled to.

I'm 'bothered' (if you can call it that) by ANYONE who is claiming benefits - be it housing benefit, job-seekers or any other benefit that decent, honest tax payers are funding.

Pollycat

The_mangler wrote: »

We were the target of a malicious report of alleged benefit fraud - since disproved. However, the whole process led to my husband being triggered into a psychotic state, all of our money being stopped for 8 weeks and living off credit cards. Since our money was re started, obviously nobody will pay the extra credit card interest amassed due to someone's jealousy. I had to leave the work I was doing to be at home with my husband, putting us both firmly back on benefits, the increase in extra care my husband needs must cost more than before, plus the cost of an investigation means the public purse is well out of pocket. It took 8 months to sort out but my husband is still paying the price, the extra anti-psychotic medication he was put on has led to high cholesterol and diabetes, therefore more cost to the taxpayer, more strain on NHS resources. And all because of someone's jealousy that convinced them we were on the fiddle. People who jump in without knowing all the facts make me sick. There is a huge price to pay when people are reported wrongly, it isnt so simple as saying if you have nothing to fear then why worry. My family are still paying the price 8 months on though we were found innocent in it all. I would be the first person to complain about benefit fraud but I will have to be 100% sure of it before I put another innocent family through what we are still going through.

That does sound awful.

But I'm very surprised that you say that your benefits were stopped BEFORE the investigation proved you were innocent.

Here's what the DWP.gov website says:

From 1 April 2010, you could have your benefit stopped or reduced for 4 weeks if you are convicted, cautioned or given an administrative penalty for a first offence of benefit fraud.

And if you are convicted of two separate benefit fraud offences within 5 years, you could have your benefit stopped or reduced for even longer.

So it sounds to me like they don't (usually) stop benefits until they have someone 'bang-to-rights'.

What action did you take?
Did you speak to your MP?
Local/national newspaper? They'd love a story like that.

The_mangler

Pollycat wrote: »

That does sound awful.

But I'm very surprised that you say that your benefits were stopped BEFORE the investigation proved you were innocent.

Here's what the DWP.gov website says:


So it sounds to me like they don't (usually) stop benefits until they have someone 'bang-to-rights'.

What action did you take?
Did you speak to your MP?
Local/national newspaper? They'd love a story like that.

The DWP stop benefits being paid as soon as they think they have enough proof that fraud has been committed, ours was stopped 3 weeks before we even had an interview with them. Unfortunately they had not done their homework sufficiently.

As for going to the Press, the last thing my husband needs now is to have it prolonged, we have already been made to feel like lepers in our small village because mud sticks. He is paranoid and will not leave the house unless absolutely necessary in case he is being watched. :mad: My time is now taken up looking after him, what I beleieved to be a full time caring job before has taken on a whole new meaning now I cannot leave him for any time at all. My kids are taking up the reins of caring for him now so their lives too are on hold.

The DWP make a hell of a lot of mistakes, the majority of the debt you here bandied about is caused by their mistakes, 80% of it is their fault. They pick on people who are vulnerable and prolong the case so when it is completed you are so relieved its over you shrink back into hiding again. Instead of taking on the !!!!!!!s who turn up to sign on in their works vans they would rather get someone who is trying to earn an extra £10 a week to pay for kids christmas presents. I dont condone any fraud at all but the DWP are cowards, they will not take on the big boys.

Pollycat

The_mangler wrote: »

The DWP stop benefits being paid as soon as they think they have enough proof that fraud has been committed, ours was stopped 3 weeks before we even had an interview with them. Unfortunately they had not done their homework sufficiently.

As for going to the Press, the last thing my husband needs now is to have it prolonged, we have already been made to feel like lepers in our small village because mud sticks. He is paranoid and will not leave the house unless absolutely necessary in case he is being watched. :mad: My time is now taken up looking after him, what I beleieved to be a full time caring job before has taken on a whole new meaning now I cannot leave him for any time at all. My kids are taking up the reins of caring for him now so their lives too are on hold.

The DWP make a hell of a lot of mistakes, the majority of the debt you here bandied about is caused by their mistakes, 80% of it is their fault. They pick on people who are vulnerable and prolong the case so when it is completed you are so relieved its over you shrink back into hiding again. Instead of taking on the !!!!!!!s who turn up to sign on in their works vans they would rather get someone who is trying to earn an extra £10 a week to pay for kids christmas presents. I dont condone any fraud at all but the DWP are cowards, they will not take on the big boys.

I know I don't know you or your OH (and have no experience in mental health) but wouldn't it be better for you, your OH and children to get this out in the open and prove to the people in your village that you really ARE innocent?
I'd make damn sure that everyone knew that the mud they'd flung wasn't sticking to me and mine.

I would most certainly have gone to my local MP and insisted he take it up with the DWP Minister.

Your first paragraph is totally different to what they say on the website.
I'm assuming you weren't convicted, but were you cautioned or given an adminstrative penalty?
If you weren't, I would want to know why/how they could stop benefits before doing that.

Raine_E_Day

Pollycat wrote: »

I know I don't know you or your OH (and have no experience in mental health) but wouldn't it be better for you, your OH and children to get this out in the open and prove to the people in your village that you really ARE innocent?
I'd make damn sure that everyone knew that the mud they'd flung wasn't sticking to me and mine.

I would most certainly have gone to my local MP and insisted he take it up with the DWP Minister.

Your first paragraph is totally different to what they say on the website.
I'm assuming you weren't convicted, but were you cautioned or given an adminstrative penalty?
If you weren't, I would want to know why/how they could stop benefits before doing that.

A change of circumstance can sometimes prompt the system to put benefit on hold or reduce to basic until it is sorted which frequently results in payment delays.

Nothing involving benefits is as simple as a lot of people on here seem to think.

As for going out and proving you are innocent, how do you do that? It doesn't alter how all this would make you feel.

Pollycat

Raine_E_Day wrote: »

A change of circumstance can sometimes prompt the system to put benefit on hold or reduce to basic until it is sorted which frequently results in payment delays.

Nothing involving benefits is as simple as a lot of people on here seem to think.

As for going out and proving you are innocent, how do you do that? It doesn't alter how all this would make you feel.

But according to The mangler, it wasn't a change in circumstances that resulted in their benefits being stopped - it was as a result of someone reporting them as benefit cheats.

As someone who looks after my Mum & dad's finances, I know perfectly well how hard sorting out benefits can be.

As for proving yourself innocent, I'd start by asking DWP to acknowledge they were wrong.
I'd contact the local paper and ask them to publish what happened.
I'd confront the 'mud-slingers' face-to-face and tell them they were wrong.
I'd use Facebook to publicise the fact they were wrong.
I'd involve my local MP and show him what the 'nice' people in my village were saying about me - as a result of DWP incompetence.
I'd aks the Minister for DWP why they are acting contradictory to what it says on their website by stopping benefits before someone is "convicted, cautioned or given an administrative penalty for a first offence of benefit fraud"..

THAT would make me feel better.

But that's me - and I can understand how The mangler would be reluctant to take those steps in the circumstances she's mentioned.

Raine_E_Day

This is what happens: http://www.babyandbump.com/single-parents/545479-im-being-investigated-benefit-fraud.html
If fraud is suspected, it is viewed as a change of circumstances.

As for the suggestions made to prove innocence.....
e.g. What on earth do you think your MP is going to do about these 'nice' people talking about you?

Pollycat

Raine_E_Day wrote: »

This is what happens: http://www.babyandbump.com/single-parents/545479-im-being-investigated-benefit-fraud.html
If fraud is suspected, it is viewed as a change of circumstances.

As for the suggestions made to prove innocence.....
e.g. What on earth do you think your MP is going to do about these 'nice' people talking about you?

I'm not sure from the link whether the woman is talking about the benefits that are paid through the Department of Work and Pensions or housing benefit/council tax benefit.

She talks of her rent not being paid (i.e. stopping her housing benefit) but not of any other benefits paid through DWP.

AND, from what the woman says on the link it WAS a change of circumstances, she admitted that she SHOULD have advised the Council but 'hadn't gotten (sic) round to it'.
And that's where SHE went wrong.

It's not clear from The mangler's post but I got the impression it was DWP benefits so I'm not convinced the link you provided is relevant.

I wasn't suggesting that a local MP would confront people - that's why I mentioned DWP incompetence.
I would show him what was being said to highlight the appalling situation a Govt department had put me in.
I would expect him to take the matter up with the DWP Minister.

Raine_E_Day

I wasn't being specific, merely providing an example that shows that if benefit fraud is suspected, nevermind where it originates, then until proved - or not it can affect payment of that benefit resulting in distress and hardship. No government department is going to carry on paying full amount if fraud/overpayment is a possibility as they would be compounding the overpayment, so I think it's a relevant link because it shows how the system works once fraud is reported.