Wrongly reported (malicious?)

Jamie_Carter

BurnleyBob wrote: »

The Incapacity Benefit bonanza was a tool politicians used to massage the true unemployment numbers. The same motive was behind the monolithic growth of single females knocking out kids 'cause they weren't counted amongst the total either. Another one's seen anyone who can distinguish one end of a pen from the other get a university place as they're off the total as well.

The UK economy hasn't been strong enough to generate nearly enough jobs to go around for several decades. It's been deindustrialised in the same way the USA has.

Globalisation is an equalising scheme with wealth being transferred from West to East.

Rubbish. Before the recession we were importing labour. Even the NHS couldn't get enough nurses.

Jamie_Carter

portly1 wrote: »

Good grief, why are so many people heated up on wanting to report benefit fraud? What is it - UK's national pastime?

The effects of this fraud have been hyped up by the government and of course the Daily Mail.

Put things into perspective.
There are many crimes that happen every day, some trivial some serious. If people think that benefit fraud is up in the top ten of crimes and that they feel that they must tell someone about it, even if they have no proof that it is a crime, don't forget that dropping litter, cig butt, crisp even feeding a pigeon is also a crime. Please take photos of the offending bread crumb before you give it to the ducks and then email the info to the LA.

And back to the original thread. I have been on the other side - have been subject to investigation by the Police (suspicion of robbery) VAT office (questioned over an alleged VAT fraud & money laundering activities).

No offences were ever committed simply because they weren't interested in me, but what I may have known about other people. In both instances the reason they came to me was because of 'information received'.
Because I refused to co-operate with their silly little games they attempted to suggest that I was implicated somewhere down the line.

My stock answer was and still is for those that are 'pulled' Prove it!

This is Britain today - the most watched country via CCTV - in the world.

You still sound like you are trying to justify your actions.

Fraud is a serious crime. And benefit fraud costs the UK £2bn per year. No excuses will make it right.

Jamie_Carter

fingledingle wrote: »

Oh Yeah sure Mr C, Being an Ex Police officer, that would look good in the local wrag, shakes head in disbelief. grow up!

Who is this Mr C who is supposed to be an ex police officer. Or are you talking complete rubbish to divert attention??

BurnleyBob

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

Rubbish. Before the recession we were importing labour. Even the NHS couldn't get enough nurses.

The UK unemployment rate has been above one million every year for the past 41 years.

This http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/20/newsid_2506000/2506897.stm BBC article says there were angry demos outside Parliament when it hit one million for the first time since 1940.

Sheldon_Cooper

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

Fraud is a serious crime. And benefit fraud costs the UK £2bn per year. No excuses will make it right.

Does anyone else find the following odd?

1) Every few years the government come up with some scheme and when the opposition demand to know how they are going to finance it they announce that the are going to crack down on benefit fraud which will provide £2bn.

This has been going on for well over 20 years so why do we still lose the same amount to benefit fraud?

2) If they know we are losing a specific figure, they must have some way of knowing who is committing this fraud and how much they are making. So why let it continue?

It seems to me that whilst there is, without a doubt, benefit fraud taking place, this mythical £2bn figure is just that; a myth plucked from thin air to frighten daily mail readers and make a clueless government appear to look as if they are in some sort of control of the situation.

portly1

Sheldon_Cooper wrote: »

Does anyone else find the following odd?

1) Every few years the government come up with some scheme and when the opposition demand to know how they are going to finance it they announce that the are going to crack down on benefit fraud which will provide £2bn.

This has been going on for well over 20 years so why do we still lose the same amount to benefit fraud?

2) If they know we are losing a specific figure, they must have some way of knowing who is committing this fraud and how much they are making. So why let it continue?

It seems to me that whilst there is, without a doubt, benefit fraud taking place, this mythical £2bn figure is just that; a myth plucked from thin air to frighten daily mail readers and make a clueless government appear to look as if they are in some sort of control of the situation.

The figure is in fact plucked from the air. As you say if they know that this is happening and can put a value on it, surely they must know who is doing it.

That figure is about as accurate as trying to weigh the volume of water that exists on earth. They can estimate it, they can assume it but they certainly can't calculate it.

Government figures are simply that - figures that mean absolutely nothing.

You only have to look at the ESA c**k up. They stated that there would be an amount of people that were put in the various groups and those that failed - they got that wrong - then they tried to state that they knew how many correct decisions there were going to be - they got that wrong.

The latest is the figure of 20% being the reduction in the budget for PIP over what it was for DLA. You can guarantee that that figure will be wildly out in time to come.

Jamie_Carter

BurnleyBob wrote: »

The UK unemployment rate has been above one million every year for the past 41 years.

This http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/20/newsid_2506000/2506897.stm BBC article says there were angry demos outside Parliament when it hit one million for the first time since 1940.

That doesn't mean that there weren't enough jobs for them. There are a lot of people who don't want to work.

Jamie_Carter

Sheldon_Cooper wrote: »

Does anyone else find the following odd?

1) Every few years the government come up with some scheme and when the opposition demand to know how they are going to finance it they announce that the are going to crack down on benefit fraud which will provide £2bn.

This has been going on for well over 20 years so why do we still lose the same amount to benefit fraud?

2) If they know we are losing a specific figure, they must have some way of knowing who is committing this fraud and how much they are making. So why let it continue?

It seems to me that whilst there is, without a doubt, benefit fraud taking place, this mythical £2bn figure is just that; a myth plucked from thin air to frighten daily mail readers and make a clueless government appear to look as if they are in some sort of control of the situation.

The £2bn is probably accurate. But governments will never tackle the issue unless they spend money to employ people to investigate the fraudsters.

BurnleyBob

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

That doesn't mean that there weren't enough jobs for them. There are a lot of people who don't want to work.

Are you on a wind-up here or are you seriously suggesting that a 'lot of people' equates to a million plus for four decades straight?

The descriptor to appear on the unemployment total is very narrow and highly manipulated. The economically inactive figure is a much better indicator. You can find that data yourself because the government publishes it every month.

hunters

Beinghassled wrote: »

I have registered under another name as I do not want anyone to recognise me.
My husband is signing on at the moment and also attends Pertemps appointments. Today he was called into the local Pertemps who said they needed to see him urgently and immediately. Long story short, they said that someone had told the job centre that he is working and not declaring it. We know immediately who has done this, but cannot prove it.
The only job he does is a few hours on a weds at a local charity shop and the job centre know this.
1) why have Pertemps called him in asked him? Is it their place? Why haven't the jobcentre
2) what are the job centre likely to do about this matter? Should we go to them?

My husband isn't that worried because it isn't true and there is no evidence, but I find it very upsetting. And goodness knows what the malicious person will do next. It's someone who my husband has had an argument with and the ironic thing is, is that this person deals in cars and does not declare his earnings.

perhaps we could concentrate on the OP and you can take your arguments to another board?