Benefit fraud

[g.herschel]

It was announced this week that benefit fraud was only 0.6% of the total budget iam not sure but on one benefit last year fraud was at 2 billion £`s and they have saved 1.2 billion £`s this year by cutting out the fraud so what happens to the 1.2 billion £`s saved to increase the carers allowance to £100 per week would only cost 1 billion £`s per year .



GEORGE=======

[Sarniajoy]

If benefit fraud was really cracked down upon maybe there would be more money for us carers and the genuinely disabled. I would have no hesitation in reporting someone to the authorities ifI thought they were claiming fraudulently!

[g.herschel]

I know but if you look at the figures benefit fraud is almost zero more is lost by benefit staff making mistakes .


GEORGE======

[Sarniajoy]

I know but if you look at the figures benefit fraud is almost zero more is lost by benefit staff making mistakes .


GEORGE======

Hmmmmmmmm!!!!

[Guest]

£154 million of our taxes was spent last year for a return of £22 million. To me that is a waste of my tax. One of the reasons so much money is wasted is because people either make malicious reports or report people who in reality they have little knowledge of, they just suspect that the individual is claiming fraudulently when in fact the claim is valid.

We rarely if ever know enough about someone, a neighbour maybe, to be able to determine exactly where their income comes from or whether they have an entitlement to benefit. For example, many illnesses or disabilities are hidden; you might only see someone outside on a relatively good day; they may have sources of income other than benefits; their benefits may not be means-tested; they may be going out and returning daily at the same times to visit a relative or friend in hospital or a care home, not to work, etc.

Increasingly we're being encouraged by government to snoop on our neighbours for various purposes but in reality we usually know very little about them or their circumstances and the fact that we can "report" them without having to identify ourselves is open to abuse. I personally would never presume to know enough about a neighbour's or acquaintance's circumstances to "report" them and I would advise anyone willing to do so to make sure that they don't simply suspect or think that the individual is acting illegally but that they have verifiable proof.

Until you've been wrongly investigated, and more than once, it's impossible to understand the lasting harm that a wrongful accusation, made in error or maliciously, can cause to the individual you "report", the expression "You've got nothing to worry about if you've done nothing wrong" couldn't be further from the truth, to be treated like a common criminal when you're innocent is one of the most painful situations anyone can experience.

[smiler]

The biggest fraud is committed by just 650 people who use 2 words to justify it and those words EXPENSE ACCOUNT They claim for things ordinary people have to pay for out of their income they cannot run to their employer and say it cost me this here's the bill.

[Sarniajoy]

The biggest fraud is committed by just 650 people who use 2 words to justify it and those words EXPENSE ACCOUNT They claim for things ordinary people have to pay for out of their income they cannot run to their employer and say it cost me this here's the bill.

I suspect if you were an MP you would be claiming too!

[Alexr115]

If benefit fraud was really cracked down upon maybe there would be more money for us carers and the genuinely disabled. I would have no hesitation in reporting someone to the authorities ifI thought they were claiming fraudulently!

Damn right!!! that benefit money is for people who genuinely need it not for someone to deicieve the government in order to feed their own personal greed!!

[Guest]

I assume that you mean our MPs, Alex ? And those who evade tax or use tax loopholes to avoid paying their fair share? Tax evasion costs infinitely more than benefit fraud and is perpetrated by the rich not the poor.

If benefit fraud was entirely eliminated the money saved wouldn't go to the sick and disabled or those who care for them, we wouldn't all get a bonus, it would simply stay in the Treasury pot to be put to other uses, if that wasn't the case how is it that we haven't received a penny of the money already saved by fraud detection? The levels at which benefits are paid and uprated are determined by considerations that don't include savings on fraud, if that wasn't the case benefits rates would be higher to endeavour to eliminate the temptation to break the rules in order to survive because most frauds do not make the headlines, they often involve small sums of money and are motivated by need not greed.

[Matt Hill]

We rarely if ever know enough about someone, a neighbour maybe, to be able to determine exactly where their income comes from or whether they have an entitlement to benefit. For example, many illnesses or disabilities are hidden; you might only see someone outside on a relatively good day;

This is such a good point. I used to work for a Disability grants organisation and we had daily phone calls reporting our recipients for 'fraud'. Neighbours would report the disabled people we were helping "he's not really disabled.", "I saw him in his garden without his stick", "They've just been to spain" etc etc

We had medical evidence to support all ther grants we made so we knew the people were genuinely disabled and so these calls were a waste of time. Personally I grew to get sick of snooping neighbours and interferring busybodies!