Would you report someone for benefit fraud?

sh1981

Sniggle wrote: »

My partner wanted to report someone anonomously, but when he enquired he was told that it is only anonymous until (or if) it goes to court. If that should happen your identity would be revealed. Is this the case?

Yes, it is the case. Eventually they will know who you are. Why shouldnt they anyway, and regardless you shouldnt be worried about it, if its them who is doing wrong then what does it matter if they know who you are.

sh1981

BillJones wrote: »

Well what you think is clearly wrong. Many of us believe that fraud, stealing, and cheating is simply wrong, and should be reported, and stopped.

I do understand that morals like yours are not as rare as would be hoped, but please don't expect people who know right from wrong to look the other way when we see it.

I was responding to a post by another user who stated how circumstances vary. He was quoting an example of an MP versus a poor man who had an extra private pension.

My morals, if you need to judge them, state that punishment should match the persons circumstances.

And with all due respect as you took the liberty to comment on my morals, allow me to comment on yours. What I think is, if you have the sort of thinking you are portraying, then you don't need a jury in the court, you might as well have robots, who would dish out a set punishment for a set crime regardless of whether it was done by a poor single mother trying to raise her children, or by a millionaire.

sulkisu

Sniggle wrote: »

My partner wanted to report someone anonomously, but when he enquired he was told that it is only anonymous until (or if) it goes to court. If that should happen your identity would be revealed. Is this the case?

I don't see how it can be the case. If you make an anonymous report, you do not give your name etc, (that's what makes it anonymous). Therefore DWP have nothing to reveal, if/when it goes to court. Any prosecution will be based on whatever evidence they manage to gather from their investigations, not on his phone call.
To answer the original question - yes, personally I would report someone for benefit fraud.

mro

sulkisu wrote: »

I don't see how it can be the case. If you make an anonymous report, you do not give your name etc, (that's what makes it anonymous). Therefore DWP have nothing to reveal, if/when it goes to court. Any prosecution will be based on whatever evidence they manage to gather from their investigations, not on his phone call.
To answer the original question - yes, personally I would report someone for benefit fraud.

You'd report them for suspected benefit fraud or something suspicious, as it is impossible to know.

If you were wrong, would you go and apoligise for the trouble & distress ?

Sniggle_2

sh1981 wrote: »

Yes, it is the case. Eventually they will know who you are. Why shouldnt they anyway, and regardless you shouldnt be worried about it, if its them who is doing wrong then what does it matter if they know who you are.

Si is this definitely the case?
It does make a difference because of the personal circumstances involved.
If she finds out who reported her, the knock on effect will be massive for my partner

NYM

Sniggle wrote: »

Si is this definitely the case?
It does make a difference because of the personal circumstances involved.
If she finds out who reported her, the knock on effect will be massive for my partner

No, he's wrong and it's certainly not the case. You give information completely confidentially. None of your details are required.

https://www.gov.uk/report-benefit-fraud#before-you-start

There has to be a good reason for investigating someone for benefit fraud - so you’ll need to give as much of the following information as possible:

the name and address of the person you’re reporting and their partner, if they have one
a description of the person
the type of benefit theft you think they are committing and why you suspect them
information about their employer, if you think they’re working
information about their vehicle, if they have one
The information you provide is strictly confidential.

You don’t have to give your name unless you want to.

-and-

If you know of anyone stealing benefits you can contact the National Benefit Fraud Hotline on 0800 854 440. Your call is free and confidential, you do not have to give your name or address. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8.00am to 6.00pm.


http://campaigns.dwp.gov.uk/campaigns/benefit-thieves/benefit-theft.asp

jetplane

You can report anonymously but you really need to give as much info as you can, it is difficult to prove and costs DWP a lot of time and money. Often the 'partner' has another address, separate finances, and the only evidence is hearsay or surveillance.

I'm with sailorsam on this one in the sense that our MPs have repeatedly been caught out fiddling yet we don't have a report an MP Expenses thief hotline or a campaign against stealing expenses. Actual fraud is a small percentage in benefits and anyone who believes that the government would redistribute unclaimed benefits to genuine claimants or back into our wage packet is only fooling themselves.

going_nowhere_fast

sh1981 wrote: »

What this guy said is exactly what I think. People who report others usually do so out of jealousy or they got nothing better to do, which in my HUMBLE OPINION, is what the OP is doing. If they are parents and they are raising their children and need a little extra its fine just leave them alone its not much anyway that they'd be getting.

I just had to pick myself up off the floor, you made me fall over laughing...

You are clearly a little confused if you need to make assumptions about me.

The person I had in mind when starting this thread lives with her children and boyfriend in a house paid for by everyone who pays tax. The housing benefit pays all but £50 of the monthly rent. She does not work, I have no idea if her partner does or doesn't. Seeing as he is not claiming the benefits I really do not care.

The person in question owns an expensive car - one which drinks petrol and is very expensive to tax, she also goes out every weekend drinking.

The two adults regularly shout at the children, in fact i have overheard the boyfriend telling his girlfriend that he is "fkcing sick of those kids". This was said in front of the children who by this point are understandably very upset. The mother then shouts and her children and goes out to have a good time drinking with her boyfriend and mates because she is a hardworking soul who needs a bit of a break.

The children are left to fend for themselves.

This person is lying to the authorities in order to claim maximum amount of benefits to fund their own lifestyle, not to put food on the table.

Please do not insult me by making presumtions about me, just ask to get the correct facts,

CCFC_80

I don't buy the argument at all that if people didn't commit benefit fraud there would be more money for genuine claimants. Millions of pounds in benefits are not genuinely claimed which balances it out. So do people think that unclaimed money goes back into the system.Definitely not. If no-one committed benefit fraud the money saved would probably go somewhere else like overseas aid.

sulkisu

mro wrote: »

You'd report them for suspected benefit fraud or something suspicious, as it is impossible to know.

If you were wrong, would you go and apoligise for the trouble & distress ?

It is not impossible to know.


In the past, I have known (not suspected, but knew for a fact) several people who were committing benefit fraud. One was a neighbour who lived with the father of her child but claimed as a single parent. The other was a colleague who was claiming unemployment benefit (as it was then) but who was working using her sisters' name and NI number. Another more recently (2002)was a colleague, who withdrew a lot of money from her account (relatively large amounts over the course of a year) and put it into a safety deposit box, when she found out that she was pregnant and knew that she would be claiming benefits once her maternity pay ran out. In each case, I know for certain because they told me. Not everyone is discreet about it, especially to friends, family or acquaintances. Back then I said nothing, but now I would.