Benefit Cheats..

We know it goes on, bet most here know of people who are/were cheating the system...... which indicates there are lot doing it.

But do/would you report them ?

Me personally, I can't be bothered..... from my understanding its pretty much a waste of time.

Re: Benefit Cheats..

Yes I would report them!
It's so difficult for genuine people to get benefits of any type. Therefore, they must have lied through their teeth to get something they're not entitled to.
It makes me very angry!

Re: Benefit Cheats..

I have a friend who's receiving pension credits and I know she's a lot better off than me financially & yet I don't qualify!!

She's a bit evasive about how she got it but reading between the lines I think she took quite a lot of money out of her bank account & saved it elsewhere - maybe one of her kids have banked it for her.

I am inwardly quite resentful about this but would never report her. I try not to think about it but it's hard when she goes on about it!!

Re: Benefit Cheats..

Would I grass-up a Benefit cheat? Too bloody right. Possibly a bit hypocritical though because I always pay cash SR (Sans Receipt) for all work we have done.

Re: Benefit Cheats..

Something I’ve noticed too, I know of people due to genuine circumstances are unable to work.

Yes they get benefits, but compared to what others get, they seem to fall way short.

I agree the genuine claimants suffer because of the cheats

I had a conversation with a friend who once headed the investigations of alleged benefit cheats reported to his section.

He told me they only had the man power to enquire/investigate a fraction of the reported allegations.

He said at most it’s a handful that are prosecuted in court, but not one prison sentence in the 20 months he worked there…. The usual was suspended benefits for a week less if they had children, and a repayment programme of £2 a week to repay the fraudulent claim of £2000 plus…… which often got reduced to a £1 a week or more often cancelled after 6 months.

Re: Benefit Cheats..

There may be a significant number but they are a very small percentage of claimants:

https://femavis.herokuapp.com/index.html

Fraud and Error in the Benefit System


Of course I would, as I would tax-evaders .....

Re: Benefit Cheats..

There's a very broad and ill defined fuzzy line between avoidance and evasion!

Re: Benefit Cheats..

Tell that to the judge, not us. It will be the judge who decides the punishments!

Re: Benefit Cheats..

I thought it was the jury that decided guilt/innocence in our system. Whatever, grass the thieving buggers up every time.

Re: Benefit Cheats..

Trust me, with a good lawyer and a good accountant a person would need to be exceptionally silly or have broken the 11th. commandment to even appear in front of a judge let alone get banged up.