Benefit Cheat runs 3 miles daily. Fraudulently claims £70k

Immediately there is an expose of a benefit cheat there are loud cries of condemnation of tax evaders to divert attention. There is a distinction between tax evaders and benefit frauds although both are cheats.
Tax evasion is illegal, and these people are dishonest, but they have worked first to earn money and possibly provided employment for many others.

Benefit frauds are people with no intention of working, ever, and their intention is to avoid legitimate paid employment, ie work.

I find it insidious that these stories are peddled at the moment, the rate of disablement benefit fraud is so small as compared to those needing it. The amount of people who are struggling to have their needs met needs highlighting pro rata

I know/have known people with MS and not one of them can run, let alone do 3+ miles!

Strange how she's fit enough to run but very fragile/on crutches in court!

Apparently jailed for 2 years, good!

I don’t see how the fact of ‘bigger fish’ getting away with it, means that we can’t be appalled at anyone quite deliberately conning the taxpayer out of £70k.

Of course the bigger fish should be caught, too. It’d be good to think that Labour would start a serious clampdown. I’m hoping they’ll quickly abolish non-dom status, too. It’s an anachronism, apparently first devised to benefit 18thC Caribbean plantation owners.
Either you’re resident, or you’re not. And if you are, you pay U.K. tax.

The abolition of non dom status, with effect from the beginning of the next tax year (6April 2025) was announced by Jeremy Hunt in the budget this year. Obviously a lot of people don’t realise this is already happening, and Labour will take advantage of that ignorance by claiming it as their policy. Too late, it’s been done.

Labour proposed it in 2022.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-61195119
It was their policy.

That said, am very glad it's been taken on. Although not due to take place until after the election.

It couldn’t have been put in place any sooner after the budget as the current tax year started within a couple of weeks.

Ah, OK, thanks.

Fraud is wrong whoever carries it out, whatever the amount.

Germanshepherdsmum

The abolition of non dom status, with effect from the beginning of the next tax year (6April 2025) was announced by Jeremy Hunt in the budget this year. Obviously a lot of people don’t realise this is already happening, and Labour will take advantage of that ignorance by claiming it as their policy. Too late, it’s been done.

It was a much publicised and criticised Labour proposal which was "stolen" by Hunt.

Who is to say it wasn’t on the cards anyway after the fuss about Sunak’s wife? But clearly there are people - intelligent people - who don’t know that this is the final year of non dom status.

eazybee

Immediately there is an expose of a benefit cheat there are loud cries of condemnation of tax evaders to divert attention. There is a distinction between tax evaders and benefit frauds although both are cheats.
Tax evasion is illegal, and these people are dishonest, but they have worked first to earn money and possibly provided employment for many others.

Benefit frauds are people with no intention of working, ever, and their intention is to avoid legitimate paid employment, ie work.

Actually I think it is about 60 percent of people on benefits who are working.

The main headline figures for the DWP benefits in this report
In the year to August 2022:

the number of people receiving the State Pension rose by 130,000 to 12.6 million

Employment and Support Allowance fell by 6.2% to 1.7 million claimants

Income Support fell by 21% to 170,000 claimants

Jobseeker’s Allowance fell by 35.1% to 89,000 claimants

In the year to November 2022:

Housing Benefit fell by 7.9% to 2.5 million claimants

It's you pensioners who are on the rise...

The benefit fraud rate for dla/pip is less than 0.05%
I sure lots of people who currently have to claim it would love to be able to walk, let alone run

Employment and Support Allowance fell by 6.2% to 1.7 million claimants
this will partly be because they are moving people over to universal credit

What about UC, MissA? Some of the benefits you mention now come under the UC umbrella I think, which would at least in part account for falling numbers (and rising UC claims?).

Yes, that's the reason, overall, I'm sure.
I hadn't thought of that at all.

The benefit fraud rate for dla/pip is less than 0.05.
That doesnt strike me as something we would read about every other week.

It's essential to balance fraud prevention with the need to provide timely and compassionate support to those genuinely in need. Overly aggressive measures might deter or delay rightful claims, causing undue hardship.

Benefit frauds are people with no intention of working, ever, and their intention is to avoid legitimate paid employment, ie work.

As I said, it is benefit frauds who are not working and have no intention of working.
I did not class 'people receiving benefits'. as frauds.

£53.9 MILLION defrauded over 4 years.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68774242

its you pensioners who are on the rise
I’m sure there’s a cunning plan to kill us off 😂

Those who investigate benefit fraud have their hands tied in many ways. There maybe the type who claims to be wheelchair bound but posts pictures on FB of themselves playing golf - but investigators cannot “invade privacy” by checking claimants social media. The Bulgarian gang who used hundreds of identities got away with it for so long as staff do not have the time / expertise or resources to follow through checks - many of which they aren’t allowed to do anyway. An ex police officer friend got involved in benefit fraud investigation and told me they just weren’t allowed to investigate properly as they weren’t given police powers.