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Benefit Fraud

Hi I wonder if you could any information I know this probably won't be popular but here goes.
My niece claims benefit for her and her four children and has her ex husband living with her permanently - he is a main electrical Contractor and employs three men.
He parks his van (signwritten) directly outside the house and has even had the Bus Stop moved so he can get outside the door.
There lifestyle is patently not within benefit limits massive TVs in each room and games consoles all the children have state of the art phones etc.
The rent is paid by Housing Benefit.
Prior to this she had another man living with her.
This has been reported over the phone & via the online form to the fraud people at least 6 times.
She likes to take people to court and gets Legal Aid and this has been reported twice.
My question is is there a method of reporting the lack of action this has gone one for at least 10 years.
It is not right when people are having their benefits cut and these people are abusing the system.
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Comments

  • pcombo
    pcombo Posts: 3,429 Forumite
    Terence123 wrote: »
    Hi I wonder if you could any information I know this probably won't be popular but here goes.
    My niece claims benefit for her and her four children and has her ex husband living with her permanently - he is a main electrical Contractor and employs three men.
    He parks his van (signwritten) directly outside the house and has even had the Bus Stop moved so he can get outside the door.
    There lifestyle is patently not within benefit limits massive TVs in each room and games consoles all the children have state of the art phones etc.
    The rent is paid by Housing Benefit.
    Prior to this she had another man living with her.
    This has been reported over the phone & via the online form to the fraud people at least 6 times.
    She likes to take people to court and gets Legal Aid and this has been reported twice.
    My question is is there a method of reporting the lack of action this has gone one for at least 10 years.
    It is not right when people are having their benefits cut and these people are abusing the system.

    Just worry about your own life and leave that to the people who actually deal with it. Its amazing how people find the time to worry about othes life...

    How do you know shes not being watched and monitored.
  • Poppie68
    Poppie68 Posts: 4,881 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    pcombo wrote: »
    Just worry about your own life and leave that to the people who actually deal with it. Its amazing how people find the time to worry about othes life...

    How do you know shes not being watched and monitored.


    Yep lets all ignore benefit fraud because this country is drowning in money!!!
  • Dunroamin
    Dunroamin Posts: 16,908 Forumite
    pcombo wrote: »
    Just worry about your own life and leave that to the people who actually deal with it. Its amazing how people find the time to worry about othes life...
    .

    Let's all not bother about burglaries either and just mind our own business.:(
  • Poppie68
    Poppie68 Posts: 4,881 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    OP report them again, this time ask to speak to a manager, the husband is obviously do ok for himself as he can afford to employ 3 men, so i doubt the kids will starve.
  • I just want to know who to speak to it is not just me it has been reported by other people too.
    I doubt the kids will starve they have all just returned from Cap Verde on hols
  • BigAunty
    BigAunty Posts: 8,310 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Some benefit claimants are very wiley and know how to fly under the radar and produce a paper trail that shows that their live-in partner actually lives elsewhere, therefore it's very hard for the DWP/local council to prove cohabitation unless they stake out the house for weeks (very time consuming, I imagine most fraud teams are tiny and under resourced).

    Some partners will stay between addresses (their own and their partners) in order for the one with kids to get full benefits, looking like they only occasionally visit.

    Many benefit fraud reports are false and malicious, or lack enough info to proceed. Like tax fraud, the officials can only really look into a tiny percentage of allegations and each one can be frustratingly difficult to prove anyway.

    I am not aware of any way to escalate a benefit fraud report.
  • HappyMJ
    HappyMJ Posts: 21,115 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Poppie68 wrote: »
    OP report them again, this time ask to speak to a manager, the husband is obviously do ok for himself as he can afford to employ 3 men, so i doubt the kids will starve.
    The fact he needs to employ three men to complete the work does not mean he is doing well for himself. There may be very little profit left after the expense of employing the men to help him in his business and the benefits are being paid legitimately.

    The TV's may have been purchased using savings. The benefits for a family of 4 children and 2 adults do pay quite well so it his highly likely the money is able to stretch. Any expenses with the van are all business expenses so it doesn't matter that it's a new van that has sign writing on it as it's a business expense and that business expense may cause his income to drop below the minimum income required and create an entitlement to claim working tax credits as well as housing and council tax benefits.
    :footie:
    :p Regular savers earn 6% interest (HSBC, First Direct, M&S) :p Loans cost 2.9% per year (Nationwide) = FREE money. :p
  • Muttleythefrog
    Muttleythefrog Posts: 20,662 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 6 November 2012 at 3:33PM
    What fraud are they actually committing do you think.... the goods in the property aren't particularly unusual and could be acquired fairly cheaply. (I have a mortgage and currently am spending extremely heavily on home refurbishments and goods.. I have modern TVs and the finest PC equipment.. and I'm on the sick.. and I commit no crimes). If other people have reported benefit fraud then maybe they aren't finding anything in their investigations or those investigations are ongoing.

    As above.. I don't know if you can escalate a report of benefit fraud.. I would think they're all taken with the utmost seriousness (as long as they're credible).
    "Do not attribute to conspiracy what can adequately be explained by incompetence" - rogerblack
  • Poppie68
    Poppie68 Posts: 4,881 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Terence123 wrote: »
    I just want to know who to speak to it is not just me it has been reported by other people too.
    I doubt the kids will starve they have all just returned from Cap Verde on hols


    Well i came back from there recently and have been for the last few years and it is not a cheap holiday at all.
    Call the hotline and ask to speak to a manager maybe that will help?
  • Poppie68
    Poppie68 Posts: 4,881 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    What fraud are they actually committing do you think.... the goods in the property aren't particularly unusual and could be acquired fairly cheaply. (I have a mortgage and currently am spending extremely heavily on home refurbishments and goods.. I have modern TVs and the finest PC equipment.. and I'm on the sick.. and I commit no crimes). If other people have reported benefit fraud then maybe they aren't finding anything in their investigations or those investigations are ongoing.

    As above.. I don't know if you can escalate a report of benefit fraud.. I would think they're all taken with the utmost seriousness (as long as they're credible).


    The OP seems to think she is claiming as i single parent...I think!
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