Reporting benefit cheats.

mum2one

hm71 wrote: »

i am on the other side of the coin having been maliciously reported twice to the help-line, am currently gettig help from the CAB relating to the latest one- i as a benefits recipient have no qualm with people checking my claims etc as i know i am fully within the law- but even still it is very stressful when you are called in for a maicious report, i would prefer it if you had to give your details when reporting so as to put off malicious reports but obv keeping the details confidential from those being reported.

i totally agree with you, as i like you have been on the other side of the coin, and was falsely accused of benefit fraud by an anomoyus caller, who even the fraud investagator said there was a note of the form that it sounded lik a false accent as the accent kept slipping, the information was changed continually, and dates given that I was suppose to have been abroad and also that i had recieved a 80k compo claim.

had the DHSS checked their files, when i was suppose to be abroad I had actually attended an appointment with the lone parent advisior.

The info that kept changing - the actual situation had been checked with the dhss, and all records etc were maintained with them, as at the time I had been working on an ad-hoc basis, earning between £10 and £50 per month, all declared with wage slips, employer details etc.

As for the 80k compo payment, this was in fact 8k and the DHSS had recieved a photocopy of the cheque, along with copy of the soliciotors letter relating to full and final settlement, this was for an incident that had happened before I went onto benefits.

I had a letter before the christmas saying I was being investagaged and would be dealt with in the new yr, (this was going back to 2005/2006). So I had over 3 weeks of upset, worrying, when in fact I was the innoncent person.

I know who the person was that made the call, although it was an anoyomus call, as it was a friend who felt that as i had recieved a settlement that he should have had a share of the money, as i had used some of the money for a holiday.

All this stress i was put under could hav been avoided by the DHSS checking their files, I get dragged through the ringers, all for someone who wanted to settle a jealous streak,

I think that people should be made to leave their details so cases like this they can be held accountable for the stress they put that person through, plus all the wasted time and cost to the goverment.

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as for shopping someone, if I knew that it was genuine i would report someone for benefit fraud, which i have done, i have reported the same person twice, I have reported them to the DHSS, CSA, as my facts were 100% right, yet the words of the CSA were not our problem as its up to them to inform us of any changes not a member of the public.

Bravehearted_2

Busy bodies. Mind your own business unless you know for certain someone is committing fraud (which you almost can never be certain off).

I'd be the first to report a cheat - but only when you have hard proof. But since you can never know the details of someone's claim or situation, how can you tell they're cheats.

Get a hobby.

FrugalFranny

boobies wrote: »

So I'll be rewarded for being an honest and upstanding citizen?

Or are you condoning benefit fraud?

What they we're pointing out was that "Karma is a b*tch!", which is the case if you get involved with it.

It's about people being dishonest, example:

You report someone you believe/know to be commiting benefit fraud, fair enough, you've pointed out their dishonest actions.

This is when karma steps in (and boy have I been bitten in the butt by karma in my time!). Can you say hand on heart that your every action/reason/deed is TOTALLY honest?...no white lies, no bending the truth, not taking advantage of being given the wrong change, no "well, not saying isn't lying is it?..."

If not leave karma well alone. I had an issue with someones actions once and decided to get involved, they got what they 'deserved' in the end (not by my hand in it I might add) but I got a massive 'karma whip-lash'.

It was as if my every 'mistake' was dragged out of the darkness and on display. This carried on for a couple of years, and while I DID deserve everything that happen because of my actions, I'm pretty sure that if I'd left 'karma' alone I wouldn't have had this happen, I'd have saved myself a lot of pain and it wasn't nessary to have gone through it.

Until it happned to me I didn't believe in "What comes around goes around"

Of course I'll get a load of "But what about the benefit fraud?! money money money money!!!"

Be honest, why are you reporting them? Are you hiding behind 'morals' to suit you're own ends?.....is it because YOU have to get up each morning to go to job you'd rather not do? Is it because YOU wish could 'lazy around' all day but your 'pride' (that we've been born and bred to hold dear to our hearts) won't let you?

It's just "Not fair!" is it?

Get angry all you want at what I say, hate the 'cheats and fraudsters' with every ounce of your being, but do it HONESTLY....
....Most of us, me included, would love to get our hands on free money and 'do as we please' our whole lives, it's why we play the lottery, it's why we save and save and save when we'd love to spend and spend and spend, one day we want to retire and put our feet up.

Look deep into youself and get past all the notions or right and wrong we've all been drip fed our whole lives, is it spite that motivates you? I've never heard of someone reporting a 'dear friend' to the DWP, a TRUE dear friend, not just a "We have coffee each morning, I was at her wedding...etc", and then they moan to friend B about how friend A annoys them. True friends (rare I know)

As for "the money! we pay for their 'laziness'!"

Do you honestly think handing over one fraudster is going to make a difference to the taxes you pay? Do you think that if all welfare was totally scrapped over night that you wouldn't get pretty much the same tax bill next year?

Much like the 'Road Tax', once we started paying it, there was always new reasons to keep paying it (it's a very interesting thing to 'g00gle', 'History of Road Tax, England, War with france')

My overall point it, people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. And didn't we all stop 'telling' on each other when we left school?

We DO all pay for the catching of benefit thieves with our taxes, the DWP and so on get paid to do it. Help them if it suits your purpose, they can be used as a weapon and regularly are, but lets stop lying to ourselves.

We just don't like what they do because it's 'Not fair!'
or we just don't like them as people.

Be it from our own personal reasons or careful social engineering.

LadyMorticia

pinkshoes wrote: »

It's completely anonymous. I did it, but the stupid benefits people just sent the person in question a letter stating what date they'd be visiting, so they made sure all her boyfriends stuff was hidden!

I don't see the logic in them giving people who are being accused of benefit fraud a date for visiting. Surely, that will mean they can just hide any incriminating evidence? Surely, them visiting out of the blue would be better as people would be caught out and not expecting it?

meritaten

Report them by phone - they tape all calls so be very careful that A -You don't use your own landline
B -You refuse to give your name - but you give as much detail of the person you are reporting as possible! no good saying his name is Joe and he lives in Anytown! also exactly why you are reporting them - if he is working and claiming Jobseekers then tell them what time he leaves, what time he gets home and if possible WHO he is working for and where!
The more detail you can give the more likely it is that they will follow up on it and not think its just a malicious call (they get a lot of them)!

FOX_HOUND

swingaloo wrote: »

Looking on the website for reporting benefit cheats, it says you can ring, write or email. It also says you can do this without giving your name although they prefer you to give your details in case they need more information.

Has anyone ever done this?

Not me! And never would, either! May as well cut my own throat.

For those who do use the snitch hotline make sure you have a good memory and that you never have a drink in the vicinity of the person you are reporting as a loose tongue could have repercussions.

arnoldy

I'm a sad person and a bi*ch. I ALWAYS report suspected benefit fraud. It's a form of stealing and I will not "walk by on the other side of the road".

I think they should give a reward to charity e.g. Barnado's or help the Aged for successful reporting - that would curb fraud and encourage reporting. Same for tax evasion as well.

Brighton_belle

I am constantly astonished how many believe in the concept of 'Karma'. It's spoken of like some sort of personal revenge system we can conjure up to feel some sense of control over our fragile lives.

meritaten

I would never report someone 'maliciously', but, If I had hard evidence that someone was cheating the system I WOULD report them! exactly the same as I would tell the police if I saw someone being robbed or hurt! I don't see the difference!
and isnt it funny how so many people on this forum call benefit recipients cheats and scroungers - yet so many are prepared to turn a 'blind eye' or even to castigate people who report the real 'cheats'?

claire16c

FrugalFranny wrote: »

I've never heard of someone reporting a 'dear friend' to the DWP, a TRUE dear friend, not just a "We have coffee each morning, I was at her wedding...etc", and then they moan to friend B about how friend A annoys them. True friends (rare I know)

Perhaps because they wouldnt associate with people like that??

As for "the money! we pay for their 'laziness'!"

Do you honestly think handing over one fraudster is going to make a difference to the taxes you pay? Do you think that if all welfare was totally scrapped over night that you wouldn't get pretty much the same tax bill next year?

Of course not. But seeing as more money goes out in benefits than comes in from PAYE, atleast all the money we do pay in taxes from working hard, could go to something useful.

And didn't we all stop 'telling' on each other when we left school?


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So perhaps we should just scrap witnesses in court cases too then?