Would you report a social welfare cheat?

PraxisPete

7 years ago me and my girlfriend were in a situation where at times one of us was on the dole while the other was working in a low payed job. If we came clean to the dole about our cohabitation we would have had more money if we both stopped working and claimed rent allowance which we weren't doing.

We're still not married so get no benefits tax wise. The system is wrong and I feel no guilt about what we did.

infogiver

dark crystal wrote: »

No.

Despite some people's mantra that single parents and dole recipients are milking it (big TVs, fancy foreign holidays etc.), I don't know anyone on welfare who lives like that.
Most of these people are just getting by in life and you'd want to be a mean minded enough person to pick up a phone and report someone, not knowing what their situation may be.

It won't change your life for the better, so why make someone else's worse? If the government are so worried about fraud, let them do their own detective work instead of encouraging neighbours to spy on each other and pick up phones. I'd wager many of these phone calls are made out of pure malice too...nothing to do with civic mindedness.

If you want to live on a "how will this affect me" basis then that's your prerogative but SWs budget is €6 billion and a lot of people are either part or totally reliant on that money.
If one person is taking more then their entitlement then someone else is doing without either totally or partially.
That's how I see it

willmunny1990

The only people I see living extravagantly on the Dole are Travellers.

Plush caravans and mobile homes, brand new transit vans and all the free time in the world to ride sulkies during the day.


Mod-Banned

Lia_lia

infogiver wrote: »

It's certainly none of your business if your on the dole yourself.
It's your business if you can only get 2 hours home help for your mother because there's no money due to scumbags working and stealing money at the same time.

Nope, still wouldn't be any of my business. It wouldn't make any difference to that situation in reality.

dark crystal

infogiver wrote: »

If you want to live on a "how will this affect me" basis then that's your prerogative but SWs budget is €6 billion and a lot of people are either part or totally reliant on that money.
If one person is taking more then their entitlement then someone else is doing without either totally or partially.
That's how I see it

Example?

Who isn't getting a social welfare benefit they're entitled to because someone else is getting the dole and doing nixers on the side?

Alpha_zero

I heard Conor McGregor is still drawing the dole, but i let it slide.

Allinall

Lia_lia wrote: »

Nope, still wouldn't be any of my business. It wouldn't make any difference to that situation in reality.

You might not think it's any of your business, but as a taxpayer it is most certainly my business.

It's my money these fraudsters are robbing, not some random pot of cash that keeps refreshing itself.

TheManthatsDan

Yep, 9 months on the dole and then get paid for going to college, I know because im doing it myself right now,

What still grinds my gears though is dole cheats...in the broadest terms, if somebody claims the dole...it means they are incapable of finding a job, how this is allowed on for years on end is beyond me.

If they had of said I had to empty bins in between classes i would of still accepted BTEA like a shot,

Not working shouldnt be a choice that people can adjust to, contributing nothing while getting 188 per week

193 now actually...

the_pen_turner

if someone was working full time and on the dole or on disability etc then i would

i have no problem with someone earning a few extra euro on the side. what harm are they doing.
i look at that these people are going to spend the etra few euro in the local shop. they will take their other half out to dinner , paint the sitting room, buy a lawn mower etc. all these people are doing is creating employment.
the government will get all the money back everntually anyway in tax.


what is the bigger issue is the fat cats that are on thousands and thousands that take all the money out of the country, with big holidays, cars, investments, holiday homes, etc.

i would rather have more dole cheaters earning 100 more on the side than fat cats earninga thousand

blackbox

Lia_lia wrote: »

No, I wouldn't do it. I was living with a fella before who was getting the dole but also had a full time job in a bar where he was earning about €400ish a week. Cash in hand. He used to spend his money on cocaine and expensive gadgets. Used to seriously piss me off!

.

This is what really annoys me - stealing from the dole and stealing from the revenue. Employers who pay cash in hand also have a lot to answer for - and that also includes people who pay cash for house painting, car repairs etc. As well as stealing the tax they're stealing work from people who do pay their taxes.

We'd all prefer not to have to pay taxes. We'd all prefer if the money was spent more wisely.

Some people would steal even if the government was perfect. Stealing from SW and revenue won't fix it.

.

Lia_lia

Allinall wrote: »

You might not think it's any of your business, but as a taxpayer it is most certainly my business.

It's my money these fraudsters are robbing, not some random pot of cash that keeps refreshing itself.

I also work and pay thousands in tax. I just personally wouldn't tell on someone for social welfare fraud. Wouldn't get involved. Even though I know it's wrong and wouldn't do it myself, I'd still feel guilty for reporting it. It seems very petty.

elperello

No I wouldn't consider it.

I have no time for this culture of denunciation where people are encouraged to spy on their neighbours.

If there is abuse let the authorities do their job to sort it out without citizens being set against each other.

Allinall

Lia_lia wrote: »

I also work and pay thousands in tax. I just personally wouldn't tell on someone for social welfare fraud. Wouldn't get involved. Even though I know it's wrong and wouldn't do it myself, I'd still feel guilty for reporting it. It seems very petty.

It's reporting theft.

If you saw someone running into a shop with a baseball bat and a balaclava on their head, would you just shrug and think it would be just petty to call the guards?

Lia_lia

Allinall wrote: »

It's reporting theft.

If you saw someone running into a shop with a baseball bat and a balaclava on their head, would you just shrug and think it would be just petty to call the guards?

Completely different.

This reminds me of those DVD piracy ads. Would you steal a car?

Allinall

Lia_lia wrote: »

Completely different.

This reminds me of those DVD piracy ads. Would you steal a car?

I don't understand that post?

CoolHandBandit

Lia_lia wrote: »

I also work and pay thousands in tax. I just personally wouldn't tell on someone for social welfare fraud. Wouldn't get involved. Even though I know it's wrong and wouldn't do it myself, I'd still feel guilty for reporting it. It seems very petty.

It is extremely petty.

freshpopcorn

It would depend on the circumstances.
If I knew somebody was claiming social welfare at several post offices I probably would be very tempted to.
If somebody was working a few hours a week in the lead up to Christmas or to try and provide for something small for their kid probably not.
I've a relative who often reports innocent people for welfare fraud and she's a fairly nasty woman. She basically reports innocent people and draws a loud of hassle on them for nothing. Even if you've nothing to hide it's a lot of stress for people. So, my experience with people who report people is fairly negative.

Nomis21

the_pen_turner wrote: »

if someone was working full time and on the dole or on disability etc then i would

Don't be in too much of a hurry to do that because new rules will allow Disability Allowance claimants to work AND keep their allowance.

https://www.welfare.ie/en/downloads/2017-03-04_MakeWorkPay_PlainEng.pdf

Lia_lia

Allinall wrote: »

I don't understand that post?

If there was a robbery I would most likely report it as I would be witnessing someone in immediate danger. I was referring to the "warning" on dvd's where they compared DVD piracy to stealing a car...just thought it was a similar comparison.

Donal55

Enough worries & problems of my own to be bothered with what my neighbours are up to.

Allinall

Lia_lia wrote: »

If there was a robbery I would most likely report it as I would be witnessing someone in immediate danger. I was referring to the "warning" on dvd's where they compared DVD piracy to stealing a car...just thought it was a similar comparison.

Ok.

So if there is theft without violence, or someone being in danger, it's ok?

You wouldn't care?

What about in your work place? If there was someone with their hand in the till, or taking stock home?

All good?

Lia_lia

Allinall wrote: »

Ok.

So if there is theft without violence, or someone being in danger, it's ok?

You wouldn't care?

What about in your work place? If there was someone with their hand in the till, or taking stock home?

All good?

Nope, wouldn't report them. Again, none of my business. I have no problem if other people would report these types of theft. I just personally would stay out of it.

If you found out your neighbour didn't pay their tv licence would you report them?

myshirt

The frightening thing about all this is that there are many, many easier €500millions out there to save.

I'd absolutely come down on welfare fraud, but many bigger fish out there to fry beforeand and I would like to see resources there.

Donal55

The irony, Leo 'not a red cent' Varadkar spouting about this after his own party blew a billion on IW.

myshirt

CoolHandBandit wrote: »

It is extremely petty.

I wonder how many reports of fraud are just speculative and driven by jealousy?

gctest50

myshirt wrote: »

The frightening thing about all this is that there are many, many easier €500millions out there to save.........

Welfare is very "noisy" ( media-wise ) though

Now that the Irish Water thing has gone quiet they need something to keep the great unwashed busy

Temptamperu

In Soviet Russia 1 in 3 people was a snitch, family member or not.

myshirt

Temptamperu wrote: »

In Soviet Russia 1 in 3 people was a snitch, family member or not.

Wonder how many are snitching now.

RayM

Some people are very quick to punch downwards. The only circumstances under which I'd even feel tempted to report a social welfare cheat is if they were committing fraud on a large scale and leading a life of luxury. And even then, I wouldn't be prepared to report them anonymously. If I'm going to be a snitch, I'd rather not do it in a cowardly way, like some kind of little curtain-twitching weasel.

Sosurface

Anyone who would is a pure petty little coward. What satisfaction or benefit would you get from it like? Very few on social welfare payments are living anything like the lifestyle portrayed often on here by those its easy tell never had to experience anything like their circumstances.