Welfare fraud, how to prove it, and the ethics of it all.

irishbran77

A friend of mine wants to report someone he knows for welfare fraud. His neighbour apparently is living with her partner while claiming lone parents allowance for her kids. As far I can tell, it's gone on for years. Now I'd like to know what people think.

Firstly, is it really necessary to report a couple who clearly aren't rich and are only trying to make a little extra money for themselves and their kids. Actually I guess I think it is too in this economy! But the thoughts of them both receiving criminal charges (possibly even prison sentences , however unlikely) is a little much to think about. And how exactly could he go about proving they are cohabiting anyway? Surely if it's only his word, or only the fact that the boyfriend has been seen in their house on occasion, then what ways can the social welfare prove their case?

I don't know, I kind of hope they get away with it but learnt heir lesson. I'm sure others won't be as lenient though!

Dublin141

I know a couple of people who have been caught out but I'm no expert on what happens. This is just what I've gotten from things they've said to me.

I'm pretty sure it's just the person claiming who gets into trouble, in this case the mother. She will more than likely (if caught) have to pay back the money in small manageable amounts over a long period of time. Sometimes they review it in six months, if the person has been making the repayments grand, if not, they could face a prison sentence.

Your friend doesn't have to prove anything, he just has to report them. Sometimes people's payments get suspended while they are being investigated but I think it's possible that they could apply for a supplementary allowance in the meantime. I think that once someone is reported then they are under review and I've heard that inspectors can sometimes call to the home at odd hours to see if the person is there. They will do a couple of interviews and they might ask for proof of the man's residence, so he would have to prove he's living elsewhere. I've heard of someone being caught out because a car registered in his name was in the driveway all night but I don't know how accurate that is.

cee_jay

There are five criteria for assessing cohabitation:
http://www.welfare.ie/EN/OperationalGuidelines/Pages/cohabit.aspx
It is very unlikely they would face a prison sentence.
Your friend should report her - your friend doesn't even have to give their name etc. It can be an anonymous letter sent to the office if needs be.
An inspector would then do a review of the case and check for signs of cohabitation. If they are found to be living together, they may be assessed with an overpayment. However, if there is no evidence to state how long they were living together, it might not even be assessed as an overpayment and the claim just disallowed.

Moonbeam

I think the problem is that it is so commonly accepted as being normal.
It may be a silly rule but it is the rule and it is draining money from the economy that could be put to better use.

The.Q

You can even report suspected fraud online (anonymously if you wish) at:

http://www.welfare.ie/EN/ContactUs/Pages/reportfraud.aspx