Spoon

Unless of course they are speeding to the dole office, in which case the reason becomes blurred.

PeteBrant

Right.


What about, say, insurance fraud, or not paying car tax and such like


I mean when we say benefit fraud are we talking all financial advantageous illegality?

Mitchy260

No thats just silly now Pete.

Im all in favour of earning money on the side. I wouldn't bat an eyelid if someone was doing a few extra shifts in a pub getting cash in hand. That simply would not bother me as ive done the same before and think nothing of it. My wifes friend does her hair once a month, she is on benefits and my wife gives her £30 for doing so.

Benefit fraud to the tune of £20k+ per year and living a 'luxury' lifestyle on a low income is totally different though

fivetide

iTrader: (1)

don't have friends like that. Although if i knew someone who had commited a crime then yes i'd take the having a chat approach. However, the OP has already said 'sort of friend' so i'm thinking more of an aquiantance and if one of my mates was committing a crime and happily boasting about it then yes, i'd have reported them asap if i hadn't already kicked their **** over it.

I know if i did something as a youngster my parents would have dragged me straight to the cop shop. how is this any different?

5t.

Agree with the above post too. This isn't about a bit of cash in hand work or the car tax being two weeks over due this is someone seriously defrauding the system and openly bragging about it. Totally different ball game.

JTaylor

These all qualify, too. I simply don't like people stealing from me and my brethren. Do you, Pete?

PeteBrant

I don't see it as stealing from me in a direct sense.


But it depends on the person/friendship to be honest.

JTaylor

So which of your friends is qualified to steal from the tax payer indirectly, Pete?

Beef

The simple fact he's bragging about it would do it for me.

Were he doing it to try and improve life in the 'right' way, by giving their kids better food/clothing/etc, and they were doing it quietly so as not to draw attention to themselves, I'd maybe let it go, probably because I wouldn't know. That he's proud of it means they're not doing it to improve lives for themselves, but to 'beat the system'.

The idea is that if you're on benefits it's because you need help in life - buying flashy new cars and lavish holidays is far more than help. They *know* they're not entitled to what they're getting, they're being greedy in wanting more than they need, and they're proud of their greed.

Shop them.

PeteBrant

None of them are entitled to - obviously.

But I place value on friendship that means I don't think I have the right to dictate how they live thier lives.

Of course there are limits, I mean if I found out they raped someone etc - but we aren't talking about that.

If one of my friends commits benefit fraud, then that it up to him - He is taking the risks. I won't help him do it, but I won't shop him in for it either.

If he wants to drive round without car insurance - it is up to him, he is taking the risks.

If he wants to smoke cannibis or inject heroin. It. Is. Up. To. Him.

Talk to them, try to dissuade them, but don't grass them up.

I mean, It's a mate ffs.

I mean, do you advise your frineds that if they do anything illegal you are going to be the first person to shop them in for it?

AER-SCOOBY

Go to his house and take his TV. When he asks what are you doing tell him you contibuted to the payment, so you want a loan for the night. lol

I would shop him, I hate this type of thing, they choose not to work but I have no choice in paying my tax.

PeteBrant

Other than choosing not to work, obviously.

AER-SCOOBY

yet i would not rip other pepole off. I have standards. All bow to the holly Pete!!!!

PeteBrant

No, no, I'm just saying, you have taken the (correct) choice to work for a living. Just like lots of other people do.


However, there is nothing to stop you from choosing not to. (assuming we live in a free for all welfare state where benefits are easy to come by)

Dream Weaver

Pete - if one of your "friends" murdered somebody in front of you, and they were on crimewatch a few weeks later would you shop them, or is it OK because they are a mate of yours?

I'm not sure if I would shop someone for fraud, but I would certainly make it clear to them that I no longer considered them a friend, and would therefore null the friendship.

PeteBrant

Ack.

SetoN

I agree with Pete.

Friends are ment to have each others backs.

anyway, this situation does not sound to bad. Hes working and paying tax on his wage every month. So he could still afford a M3 fair and square if he still lived at home with his parents for example.

Shes got 2 kids that have done nothing wrong, and who knows how much of a bad life she might have had growing up. For all we know she could have been beaten up by her step dad and kicked out of home when she was 16.

He works and pays tax, shes got kids and claims benefits.

Not really scum of the earth are they?

Lisawrx

iTrader: (1)

To some extent this is a free for all welfare state, if you know how to play the game so to speak. The benefit system is supposed to give a little help those who really need it, not provide a free life to those who choose to abuse it, allowing them to have a more than average standard of living at the cost of the taxpayer.

I am all for a fair benefit system, where people recieve help to get by in life, but not for people who can't be bothered to work to be supported by a cut of my and everybody elses wages. If people don't report people known to be committing fraud of this type, it will carry on un-noticed.

There are many people in this country, busting a gut working for a low wage, getting no help, while others are sitting doing nothing. How about using money to help those who are on low incomes rather than continually paying for people to sit at home, contributing nothing into the pot that is keeping them.

PeteBrant

Trouble is Lisa, is how to seperate the genuine cases from the cheats, without spending a fortune on surveillance etc, thus making it a false economy.

I think the system is far tighter than it used to be, in fact I know it is from second hand experience. You will always have some that slip through the net, but I don't think you are ever going to avoid that. Not unless you want to do away with the benefit system altogether which thankfully won't happen.

Lisawrx

iTrader: (1)

Agreed, nobody will ever stop everybody slipping through the net, that's just life, but in cases where it is known 100% that someone is cheating the system, then people should shop them. It's one thing to earn a little on the side to provide a better life for a family, but not abusing what should be a good system to the tune of around 30 thousand pounds. If I knew of someone taking the preverbial(sp) to this extent I wouldn't have a problem 'grassing them up'.

Sonic'

Isnt that a bit hypocritical ?

you want to dob your mate in becuase he is 'cheating the system' or rather his missus is, and you completly disaprove

Yet your quite happy for your wife to have her hair cut by someone commiting benefit fraud too ?

Or does the hairdresser declare her cash earnings to the tax man and the DSS ?

Benefit fraud is benefit fraud no matter how small or large

AER-SCOOBY

They have a system in America which I think is a good idea. Why not have the peolpe on benefits work for their monies through helping out charities? At least then they give something back.

Freak

Shop the chav scum.....
(then offer to buy his M3 for peanuts when he has to sell it )

Ted Maul

don't shop them.

This is the crap situation the government have got this country into. Why should we the people be the monitors and observers of this terrible set up? If losers want to live like this then let them.

you concentrate on your own life.

PeteBrant

Welcome to the good guys corner, Ted

Lisawrx

iTrader: (1)

I'm not a bad person

The fact we have situations like this is down to the government letting it happen so to speak. I will say again, any benefit is meant to be there to help those who genuinely need it, not to subsidise a life of luxury to those who wish, quite frankly take the ****.

People who are out working are taxed to death in this country enough as it is, so I'm sorry if by busting a gut all week at work, paying my way in society, by being shafted left right and centre by our government, being dictated to in many ways as to how we should live and being hit for more money by them when it pleases, I get a littled pissed off when I'm helping other people get a free ride. If that makes me a bad person than so be it.

Don't forget we are discussing someone who is involved in fleecing 'us' to the tune of 30 grand.

Fuzz

I think you need to sit back and evaluate whether it's actually affecting the way YOU live and if it does then shop em..
If not then stop poking your nose into others business.

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

No, it's not up to him.

He. Is Stealing. Your. Money.

He's stealing mine too, and I can't think of any reason why that shouldn't p*ss me off, regardless of whose mate he is.

Wrong again. Anyone who shares the road with him is taking the risk - unless, of course, that he's so fabulously wealthy that he can afford arbitrary medical bills, and to compensate anyone he crashes into in full for their losses.

Around three-quarters of crack and heroin users claim they commit crime to feed their habit. (source: Home Office). Let's all hope the next home to be burgled to feed someone's drug habit is yours, if that's how you feel.

That's about the most pathetic excuse I've ever heard

kingofturds

iTrader: (1)

Send him down to chinatown Why should I work anything up to 13 hours a day to keep these wasters. I would love to spend all day at home with my son, unfortunately that's not how life works

PeteBrant

Excuse for what? I ain't dun nuffink!

PeteBrant

I was being very tongue in cheek - I'm not judging anyone - We all have our own view on this