Should I report a family member illegally claiming benefits?

Suarez

There is no point reporting them because nothing will get done about it. The amount of people I know of who are claiming as a single parent and living with their partner goes into double figures so god knows how many do it throughout the country.

Torry_Quine

If I knew someone was knowingly claiming benefits which they were no longer eligible for I would have no problem in reporting this. It shocks me that people wouldn't.

MoneyScrimpingNewbie

Fully agree to what is said, however I feel Britain has fallen foul of if they can do it, then why shouldnt I.


I certainly would report one of my relatives, friends or neighbours if I knew they were claiming a benefit that they are not entitled to.


A reason has been set stating why that indivual is not eligible for a benefit or state helping hand, although there is plenty of people who make quite a comfortable living doing so, in doing so they are commiting a crime and if not reported you are agreeing to them in defrauding tax payers money, namely your money.

BWZN93

Yes I would. Anyone who wouldn't is basically condoning theft and fraud; and I'm disgusted with you.

SailorSam

What's he done to upset you ?
Think back, was there ever a time in the past when you needed help, and he was the one who came forward.
If it ever came out who had made the phone call, how would the rest of your family feel about you.

mr-tom_2

Yes report him. It's theft. If people didn't fraudulently claim benefits, the government might not need to implement things like the bedroom tax in an effort (clumsy, ineffectual and unfair) to reduce the cost of benefits.

John_Gray

Tell him you want 50% of the ill-gotten gains, otherwise you'll report him! :rotfl:

dw1

I reported the previous owner of my flat for possible benefit fraud a couple of years ago.

When I first moved in I agreed to forward his letters - as anyone else would. After a year though I was still getting them every day so I contacted him and asked him to update his address with everyone. He was very apologetic and said he'd do it straight away, but would I mind forwarding any official-looking letters for a bit longer - something about him finishing up a course of treatment at the hospital and not wanting to move to a different trust just yet because of the hassle. I said that was fine.

Another year later the letters were still coming but when I tried phoning him I couldn't get through. Annoyed at having to write his address out 3 or 4 times every day I gave up and started returning the letters instead of forwarding them. A couple of months later he contacted me out of the blue and asked if I could start forwarding them again - specifically letters from the NHS and DWP. I said I would, but I thought it was quite suspicious that he needed the DWP to think this was his address and not just the hospital, so I put a report in explaining that he didn't live at my address any more. All the letters stopped more or less immediately.

I never found out what happened but I worked out he could've easily been claiming housing benefit or who knows what else against my flat in London while he was actually living in Cornwall - which over two years would be worth thousands of pounds. I didn't feel guilty about putting the report in, because if he had been committing a fraud I would've been facilitating it by forwarding the letters, and if not, no harm done.

I'd ask the OP why this is a dilemma in the first place. If you feel the need to ask the question, surely it's because you feel some sort of guilt that he's getting away with stealing taxpayers' money, and you're complicit in it by not telling anyone? Obviously it's different that he's a relative but still...

Clairsdad

If you don't mind alienating yourself from your entire family... because that is the very real risk. Just imagine for one moment that there just might be a reasonable explanation for why it is happening, something you just don't know about. It is very unlikely that the Benefit offices simply missed this one, they employ thousands of staff who spend all day making certain they never pay a penny more than they absolutely have to. Even in the case of an extreme fluke or deliberate fraud how do you imagine the person and their loved ones will react when they find out what you have done? I promise you no one will be giving you a reward for reporting them the only true motivation is feeling satisfied you have done the right thing... when in reality you never will actually 'know' if you have. The real answer to the morality issue is to confront your relative yourself and persuade them that if you know then it is only a matter of time before other people do too. That way you are really trying to help them help themselves and if (as I suspect) you don't know all the facts, then no dreadful harm will be done.

dw1

I feel Britain has fallen foul of if they can do it, then why shouldnt I.

I couldn't agree more with this. There's a council cleaner's office nearby that all my neighbours use to dump old furniture, fridges etc outside, despite signs telling them not to. Last week someone asked me why I kept taking stuff to the rubbish dump in my car when I could just fly tip like everyone else!