Friends sponging off benefits, so disappointed

Jo_R_2

We went to visit a friend today who has a lovely week-old baby girl.

They've just moved into a council house together. Our friend works full-time in a shop, and his girlfriend was working but left her job earlyish in her pregnancy.

I found out from my DP that she is claiming to live alone so she can get her rent paid and various other benefits. Knowing roughly what he earns, out of interest I sat down and worked out how much they've got to play with a month and it's around half of mine and DP's combined income *before* we've paid rent etc. They've just got a new leather sofa paid for in cash for a grand - and yes, I am envious (not of the sofa because it's leather and I'm veggie :eek: )

However I just couldn't do this. I work with people with a learning disability and often have to fight to get their benefits and it's amazing just how easy it can be for other people to claim something that isn't rightfully theirs.

It's just this attitude that I despise, even though they are my friends.

Gabriel-Ernest

I knew people doing something similar; we had a big argument about it and never spoke again.

The question is: do you shop them? In my case, I had council officials knocking on my door (next door) asking questions before I really knew them and before I knew the bloke was in fact living there.

makingendsmeet_2

Its a difficult one. On one hand you could report them, no one will ever find out it was you and that would stop the leather sofas. One the other they are your friends and I personally couldn't do that and you would have to live with reporting them. No matter what you see on the telly " Benefit Fraud Is A Crime" very true it is! But the goverment aren't that bothered about it, they just need to be seen to be doing something about it. I am a Tax payer and the goverment take over £600 per month from me, some of which goes toward Benefits and indeed benefit cheats. But if the goverment cut out the cheats will my £600p/m go down (na course it won't) it will just go up as it always has.

welshcakes

Shopping them would be tough and with a baby in the equation I would have to think twice. On the other hand, I could not sit with them regularly without telling them that I thought they were wrong and how disappointed I was that they could sleep easy at night defrauding.

In a nuitshell, I guess the horns of the dilemma are what pricks you most, possibly loosing their friendship or your conscience.

A very lovely person told me years ago when I had a difficult decision to make that people come and go, but you live with your conscience til the day you die ... and then you sit in the weighing scales of ultimate judgement!

Anthillmob

shop them. and from my assessment officer point of view a new baby added to a claim = me informing fraud anyway to ask if there is a partner present.

missk_ensington

How do you know she is claiming to be living alone? If she told you, then she deserves to bne shopped in. #

However tempting it is to shop someone in, and I've wanted to do it so many time, and in th epast I have done it, but think of the hardship and heartache she and her week old baby wuld have trying to repay maybe thousands of pounds. Inevitable the baby would suffer too, less clothes, less treats, unable to go out to clinic if she's too skint to pay for bus/petrol.....as well as having a criminal record.

Sometimes you have to be the bigger person.

Also, if she has told you she is frauding the system then if she gets caught,m even though its anonymous she'll susoect it was you and probably never forgive you.

sheryldoc

Jo_R wrote:

out of interest I sat down and worked out how much they've got to play with a month and it's around half of mine and DP's combined income *before* we've paid rent etc. They've just got a new leather sofa paid for in cash for a grand - and yes, I am envious (not of the sofa because it's leather and I'm veggie :eek: )

Out of plain noseyness you mean!... sitting "working out" other peoples income!.. and how did your DP find out.. snooping through her letters?

Your jelous end of..

Thank god your not my friend.

Yes what they r doing is wrong.. but you dont even have the guts to speak to them to their face before working out their incomings.

At least speak to her first.. before reporting her (although she will prob think your an interfering git) but at least your concience will be clear.

makingendsmeet_2

They way I see it is not so many years ago everyone started buying their council houses at a huge discount they made lots of money overnight. These are now the people I see who have never had anything other than a modest job and a modest life. They now life on the nice new estate at the top end of town both drive new cars, children in designer clothes etc. They afford this lifestyle today due to the fact the council gave them a nice little £40k plus head start. So the young couple who live next door and claim a little more than they are entitled to , to keep their baby in a reasonable standard of living, are they really criminals??? Who's going to give them that head start??? There are real benefit fraudsters out there!! Professional who make 10 of £1000's of pounds from the system. These are the real cheats. Besides your friends could be lying about paying cash for the sofa, "4 years intrest free credit and nothing to pay for a year!!!" etc etc.

No_Future

What does DP stand for?

real1314

ok, so she gets about £120 in benefits, plus rent (worth £100 to the workers) and ctb (about £15).

Thats £12k+ in income paid for by other tax payers. Not by the government, they don;t actually have any money. They just pass on what others pay in.

He's getting? Let's say £15k. After tax, prob gets £12k min

£24k + income for 40 hrs work after tax?


I bet some honest people wish they had that.

Perhaps you should drop a subtle comment or 2? they'd get some tax credits (maybe get £18-19k with that, don;t know for sure) but do thay want a criminal record /caution?

LondonDiva

It's a crime. There is no 'system' It's our taxes and council tax. Those b1tching about the rising tax burden and council tax mind mainly because it is used to subsidise those who are not entitled to it.

*tell them you're dissappointed in them and ask them to either stop it or take active steps to make sure that any part of their life that profits from the fraud has a limited impact on your life. (ie if they buy a new car, refuse to go in it as it is part of the proceeds of fraud)

*If this is just the beginning and could escalate, shop them without a thought. They are stealing from you and me.

*What example are they setting their child? That it's ok to steal just because nobody will find out? What if the council has to make a decision between paying for their fraudulent housing benefit claim or paying for a carer/home adaptions for a housebound/disabled person? The money comes from the same pot - there is no magical tap that replenishes the budget and self adjusts for theives and fraudsters.

*I :T:T:T:T you for worrying about the type of person your friend is revealing herself and partner to be and would be proud if you were my friend. Society and community is made up of tiny actions and interactions and chancing it because you can get away with something that means someone else is affected demeans us all.



***To people who are saying that it doesn't matter, it's a tiny figure in the total amount, it's not like it's a real crime should think long and hard about what that says about the society they are prepared to live in and if that doesn't give pause, to think in cold hard cash terms - your council tax is supporting someone who has no qualms about taking from the vulnerable.

/rant, but this is something I really feel strongly about and I think the let's milk the benefit system till it breaks and is unable to support those vulnerable people it's really intended for stinks and should be condemend in the strongest possible terms as stealing from our pockets and stealing support intended for those in real need.