Reporting benefit cheats.

Anoyedtaxpayer

Ok, I've been working in full and partime employment since I left school in 96 paid plenty of tax etc! I own a excouncil house(well morgaged) and have to pay bills maintainence and so on and so forth! Work long hours mrs works partime have 2 kids!......... So? How is it that certain local residents have there house handed to them Bill subsidised or paid, neither work have 5 kids but can afford to buy crap cars break them up or race them round a track, then weigh them in for less money than they brought them for??????? Quite capable of playing cars in the garden which is a dump I might add but can't work?????
Think I'm in the wrong job???

Taadaa

I really do think you need to be certain before going down this road. And carefully consider the repercussions on the family involved, who may be doing the wrong thing but could have the right reasons for doing it - they may not be able to attain the skills to get a job earning the money they need to support their family. If they are spending it on cars and holibobs, well l wouldn't hesitate. !!!! takers deserve what they get.

gorspenyans

Taadaa wrote: »

who may be doing the wrong thing but could have the right reasons for doing it

sorry but their is NEVER a right reason to steal. benefit fraud is theft. end of!

ginger_tony

I think if you believe in reporting someone for benefit fraud you should not be anon its really cowardly if your going to get someone prosecuted a least have the balls to let them know who had them taken to court etc because if there was theif taken to court he/she would face their accusers in court. l dont agree with benefit fraud either but for gods sake l wouldnt go out trying to get people into trouble. The government should have checks in place to catch the fraudsters checks on accounts etc. Im more annoyed at reckless politians wasting money and their social engineering projects that has lumbered us with half of europe claiming benefits which are being taken out of our country to their counties of origin. Child benefit is going to kids who have never stepped foot in our counrty while our own population are are on their knees. Please get annoyed at the right people.

FunWithFlags

Taadaa wrote: »

I really do think you need to be certain before going down this road. And carefully consider the repercussions on the family involved, who may be doing the wrong thing but could have the right reasons for doing it - they may not be able to attain the skills to get a job earning the money they need to support their family. If they are spending it on cars and holibobs, well l wouldn't hesitate. !!!! takers deserve what they get.

I kind of agree with this in a sense. Not the part about being unable to attain skills for a good job, because I think everyone has the opportunity to do that at some point, but at the part where they might have the right reasons for doing it. A minimum wage job as a single parent (even with the help from child tax credits and housing benefit to bump up the money) doesn't go far. I know a woman who lied for several months when her relationship broke down because she couldn't afford the rent in the town she lived but to move meant losing her job and being unable to afford to care for her children as new job would not be guaranteed. After seeing her struggle, I am so glad that I am lucky enough to have not been in that situation (thanks to family helping us out in our time of financial worry) and find it hard to be mad at people like that who have no one to help them.

This topic kind of makes me feel a bit uneasy generally though because I do think a lot of the people who straight away say "theft, report!" have not been in the situation where they are so worried about money it seems like the only option. I find it hard to get mad at people who see it as a last resort other than not being able to eat. People who do benefit fraud to get holidays and fancy cars and TVs and consoles etc though are a different kettle of fish imo. I know, I know, theft is theft but I can't see it as black and white as that.

scooby088

I have been on the end of a malicious call to the benefit fraud investigators, I was interviewed under caution and it's not nice being under suspicion when you haven't done anything but in the end no further action was taken as they had no proof.

I would have no hesitation in informing on anyone and I wouldn't do it anonymously.