Panorama Britain on the Fiddle

clemmatis

24skins, I thought that was strange too. I also thought it was really badly unbalanced. I'd have expected a programme called Britain on the Fiddle to be about, among other things,tax evasion (plumbers/builders who ask to be paid in cash, say). But it is I see described as

to expose benefit fraudsters sailing yachts and driving Bentleys. Plus the rising tide of benefit cheats using fake identities.

and yet, the programme spent a lot of time on a story they'd covered months ago, that has nothing at all to do with benefit fraud

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13231419

Perhaps they couldn't find enough of the kind of case they wanted to find?

rogerblack

'Fraud and error' - I note that error by claimants is only 1.5* that of error by trained DWP staff!
That is a hideously bad reflection of training on behalf of the DWP, or a shining endorsement of the accuracy of untrained claimants.

paddedjohn

tottybum wrote: »

I saw that programme too. It was on the whole totally true.
The people they identified are no different to many that we know that are doing the same thing.
Two properties, one abroad and claiming benefit because they say they can't afford the rent on the Brtisih property.

I know of a scaffolder that lives next door but two who claims benefit because of his 'back injury' yet is still to be seen 30'+ up on the scaffolding nearly every day.
The local pub is well known for hiring young girls who are single mums to work shifts for cash in hand.
Then we have the guy at the other end of the street who runs a car & van repair business from his house and garage. At any one time there are at least 6 cars/vans of some description either on his drive or on the road being repaired. Then he moans every time about being made to sign on every week, never mind not telling anybody how much he is earning on the side.

If I know these few, then there must be a lot more. Benefit fraud is rife!
If it became public knowledge actually how much benefit fraud was going on instead of what was thought to be going on, everybody would be shocked.

If you know all this is going on then why arent you doing something about it? if any of this is true then they are thieving off the rest of us and should be reported.;)

ramsas

tottybum wrote: »

But they do make a point though.

Benefit fraud is seemingly condoned by most people in this country as being not really illegal.

What's a few quid a week to the government.

What's a few quid a week to the government.[/QUOTE] you say whats a few quid to the government by way of sarcasm to support a pathetic programme aimed at isolating the disabled even more by way of a misinformed documentary .Benefit fraud is not condoned by the masses as you state but if enough people like yourself say it is so then eventually people believe it,the same goes for the current all out assault on the disabled by trying to isolate us for being unfortunate enough to be ill/injured/permanently disabled..we to have rights and have the right not to be hassled and harassed by people who take delight in making assumptions of people without knowing the full facts about a persons problems.. it was getting to the stage where i was feeling guilty for being severely injured and was avoiding going out at all even though i could only get out a bit in the first place.Then i suddenly thought to hell with this and all the nosey neighbours ..not for one minute would they have any idea of the sheer hell that i have been through and the scars and injuries i carry,yet i was letting these idiots dictate my life due to me being afraid i would be reported and have my benefit threatened even though i am severely messed up i was still afraid i would be targetted and have my life made more miserable..well to hell with that from now on...i have a right to be out on the streets just like anyone else if not more so ..so to all people who are having to live in fear through this campaign of terror against us i say get out there and dont be scared to try to have some kind of life..we have as much right as anyone else so no more hiding away in fear of the snooper.

Oldernotwiser

24skins wrote: »

I was totally confused by elements of the program - as other posters have pointed out Panorama didn't seem to understand what DLA was for, or who can claim it and also there was the bizarre allegation that someone was being investigated for fraudulently claiming "£25,000 of Carer's Allowance over six months". Carer's Allowance is £55 a week, how could he possibly have claimed £25k's worth in six months?

One of the worst types of benefit fraud are those where people make multiple claims for benefits using a variety of aliases. Surely this was what the programme was partially about?

24skins

clemmatis wrote: »

24skins, I thought that was strange too. I also thought it was really badly unbalanced. I'd have expected a programme called Britain on the Fiddle to be about, among other things,tax evasion (plumbers/builders who ask to be paid in cash, say). But it is I see described as



and yet, the programme spent a lot of time on a story they'd covered months ago, that has nothing at all to do with benefit fraud

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13231419

Perhaps they couldn't find enough of the kind of case they wanted to find?

I actually meant to mention that case in my post! Also the allegations regarding the taxi firm using a Council house didn't seem to fit the benefit fraud remit of the show.

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

One of the worst types of benefit fraud

are those where people make multiple claims for benefits using a variety of
aliases. Surely this was what the programme was partially about?

"worst types of benefit fraud"? What are the best kinds? :rotfl:


Actually they didn't use allegation of multiple identites in that case which is why I think the allegation is either overblown or just downright wrong (by my maths he would have needed to have used 17.5 false identities in order to claim £25,000 of CA within a six month period). This is the sort of shoddy journalism I'd expect from certain newspapers, but I'm surprised to see it on primetime BBC.

Further on in the program they did show someone using a false identity in
order to claim, so it was indeed 'partially' about that...

Norman_Castle

I know of a scaffolder that lives next door but two who claims benefit because of his 'back injury' yet is still to be seen 30'+ up on the scaffolding nearly every day.
The local pub is well known for hiring young girls who are single mums to work shifts for cash in hand.
Then we have the guy at the other end of the street who runs a car & van repair business from his house and garage. At any one time there are at least 6 cars/vans of some description either on his drive or on the road being repaired. Then he moans every time about being made to sign on every week, never mind not telling anybody how much he is earning on the side.

https://secure.dwp.gov.uk/benefitfraud/

tottybum

paddedjohn wrote: »

If you know all this is going on then why arent you doing something about it? if any of this is true then they are thieving off the rest of us and should be reported.;)

It has nothing to do with me! How I run my life is my business, how these other people run their's is their business.

It is for their own conscience not mine.

I don't have any right to start trouble for others, you never know where it might lead to.
What you are suggesting is akin to the 'Hitler Youth' when they were encouraged to spy and inform on the activities of their own siblings and family. Do we actually want to go down that road?

As for "thieving off the rest of us", that isn't true at all. Benefit money for others is not reduced because someone is 'fiddling'. Everybody is entitled to to the same amount irrespective. Or are you suggesting that if there were no fiddles going on, the government would increase the benefits across the board?

In my opinion the biggest 'fiddler' is the government who are now trying to find ways of unpicking an agreed arrangement that benefits will increase annually in line with inflation. Just because inflation hit just over 5%, they are saying that that would give everybody too much of an increase. They are talking about freezing benefits instead of increasing them except the OAP.

No arrangement is safe if they think that it will pay out too much. It would be different if inflation was only 1%.

dealsearcher

tottybum,

I suppose I should be shocked by your post. However it would seem you are just taking the same viewpoint of so many in this country now. You believe you are entitled to this money from the 'government' (tax payer).

The really shocking point is that so many people agree with you. The extent of this attitude results in people almost (or actually) feeling entitled to defraud the government (tax payer).

It has nothing to do with the Hitler Youth (!). It has everything to do with being an honest and moral citizen.

Of course the government can appear to be unfair where people are caught up in poverty, or other, traps. But if you think it is unfair here then just try some other countries.

darkpool

tottybum wrote: »

In my opinion the biggest 'fiddler' is the government who are now trying to find ways of unpicking an agreed arrangement that benefits will increase annually in line with inflation. Just because inflation hit just over 5%, they are saying that that would give everybody too much of an increase. They are talking about freezing benefits instead of increasing them except the OAP.

i know people that work in the private sector that haven't had a pay rise for three years. i don't see why benefit claimants shouldn't share some of the pain.