benefit fraud

[chas2008]

i know of someone who has been claiming incapacity benefit for the last 17 years...i know he is more than fit for work ( for at least the last 15 years) how do people like this slip the net ??? how do they get away with it for so long and why doesnt anyone do medical checks to confirm wether they are fit to work.
and yes he does work fulltime for cash in hand !! and before anyone criticises me yes i would love to report him unfortunately they are a family member (in-law) no excuse i know but it would just cause major problems for my wife .

[Ethel]

It would cause no problems at all for your wife - if you reported him, nobody would ever know it was you.

[cazzz1975]

so what are the exact medical reasons for why he is claiming incapacity benefit?

[ummmm]

I don't think that makes a difference cazz as he works full time cash in hand.

[chas2008]

broke a leg , took a while to heal, but absolutely no sign of the injury now..looks 100%.
Due to a bit of family friction if they were reported at this moment in time they would have a good idea where it came from would be to much of a coincidence.

[Ethel]

You've answered your own question then - people who know don't report them.

[chas2008]

i accept that, but i still cant understand why in this age of computers the system doesnt flag up somebody like this for investigation...

[ummmm]

Report him.

[redcrx]

because a computer doesnt know and those that do keep schtum.

[HJT40]

I reported my neighbours who claim full housing benefit and work, twice! I work for their landlords so I know they are on full housing benefit. What have they done, nothing! The first time I reported them on the anon number it never got to the right people. But still nothing has been done, but their garden looks good and they are always decorating!

I too was scared that they would guess who it was, but seeing as they seem to do nothing I shouldn't worry. Report them to ease your conscience, safe in the knowledge no one will look in to it!

[ummmm]

If he wasn't working full time then I'd keep quiet. But he is and that's a complete p!ss take. I'd rather he was just a lazy git.

[Kathyan]

It will take a long time for them to gather evidence to prosecute him, by which time the dispute will probably have been forgotten. He is committing fraud, report him!

[sara3]

report him. he won't be called for interview until enough evidence has been gathered.. at least a couple of months. no one will disclose where the info came from.

I spent 20 years as a benefit fraud investigator, and one fact is that we're not psychic.

do you have any idea how many people claim benefits? if it's cash-in-hand there are no computer records to lead to this fraud being discovered. we don't have the man-power to place an investigator outside the home of everyone who claims benefits, just in case they're up to something.

[twinny-15]

Report him... my husband is disabled and he really cannot work but people have reported him but it caused no problem for us because of medical evidence ..your in-law gives genuine claimants a bad name get him kicked off.. twinny

[Mr-Marvel]

chas, just report him, he will never know.

[zxyvixy]

not really sure if you should report him what if you`re wife found out it may well cause major friction between the two of you.how the heck was he allowed to claim for a broken leg?

[chas2008]

sara3
i know the benefits depts are not psychic and proving the cash in hand bit is difficult but my point is how come the system doesnt throw up long term claiments for reviews ?

I also have a son-in-law who had a nasty accident at work which has left him partially disabled but because of how the system works and he works fulltime is unable to claim a penny ..even more of a reason to report him..(just put that in before someone else said it)

zxyvixy -
actually my wife knows and is on the verge of doing it...

[bednobs]

the reason people "slip through the net" is because people know about it and don't report them As far as i am aware, IB is subject to review on a regular basis - however he decisions are either made on the answers someone gives in their form (ie the person lies) or via a gp review (the person puts it on a bit when they see the gp) or by a medical by the DWP (not all that usual, but if so then the person puts it on a lot at the medical).

There are tens of thousands of people claiming IB i bet, so the DWp rely on accurate reports from the gp. However the gp has no knowledge of what the patient is like when they are not in front of them, so the system relies n people like you spilling the beans

[Nosha123]

People like that really get on my wick!
My Brother In Law runs his own building firm and a young lad was mucking about on site one day and fell and broke his leg badly. 2 years down the line he was all healed and back working somewhere else and playing football, yet we heard on the grapevine that he was trying to put in a claim stating he was unable to work and claim off our Public Liability insurance. When my BIL came to renew the policy the following month - he was honest and said that yes there may be a pending claim we dont yet know about as it wasnt yet offical, and so were then quoted 10 times the previous premiums.. which he couldnt afford! All cos this lad was lying about his injury!