Is this considered to be fraud (UK)?

A neighbour on my street got a job last year working at a large UK supermarket. She settled in well on the tills then asked to be transferred to cleaning. Within weeks of the transfer she went to her doctor complaining she was 'depressed' (there is nothing wrong with her she is just lazy) and she was signed off sick. She kept going back to the doctors for sick notes but she was not getting enough sick pay from her employer so her sister asked if she would like to help her out delivering leaflets for cash. She gets £250 per week doing this but she is still going to the doctors for sick notes. Her husband works all hours trying to keep a roof over their heads but she spends her money on junk.

I have to work 2 jobs to keep my home and i don't get £250 per week. It makes me sick cos the whole street knows what a lazy cow she is. No-one will go into her house anymore cos she never cleans up. Her husband does that when he comes in from work.

Is this fraud? Is it illegal? What can be done to put a stop to it?
Additional Details
She is just lazy. There is nothing wrong with her at all. I have seen her going on nights out (at least 2 a week) and her sister taking her out almost every day. She always seems to be laughing and joking. She is not getting sick pay from the government she is getting it from her employer.

lippz

If you think she is defrauding someone be it employer, government or both inform them and they will investigate. Her employer can send her to a nominated doctor for a full medical. The DWP can insist she attends a medical at the job centre.If there is a case to answer they will find it.

It does sound like you either envy her lifestyle or you are jealous in some way of this woman. Report her if you think she is doing something wrong or ignore her and get on with your own life, whichever way it shouldn't be causing you so much consternation!

omar gawd

yes it is,you cannot work and claim sick pay.report her to the dhss.

diamonds

100% yes...fraud. she is supposed to declare her earnings & if she is receiving sickness benefits then she should not be working anyway!

Serafina Pekala

Depression can take many forms - and perhaps this is one of them.... it is true she shoudn't have started another job while she is signed on the sick but if her employer is paying her sick leave then it is they who should be informed not DSS (incidently it is now called Department for Work and Pensions) -

Depression or stress does not necessarily follow the normal rules of sick leave as it can make you worse to merely sit in the house all day doing nothing - also one still has to eat, so still has to go shopping etc. Also, the last thing you want to do whilst depressed, is the housework - unless it gives a feeling of great achievement, which it generally doesn't as you always have to start again once it's done! - it sounds like she has a very supportive husband if he does the cleaning when he gets home (i'm sure, as a cleaner it is also the last thing she will want to do, when she gets home from work!) and it's a shame that ev1 in the street judges this person instead of offering support and help but thus is the nature of humans unfortunately.

girlborofan

Yes it is illegal, because if an individual is claiming sickness benefits of any kind, then they are not allowed to work. I'm not sure as to whether it's a police matter, but I would speak to the benefits office if I was you and try to get this person investigated for benefit fraud. I'm not sure as to the phone number, but there's a phone number that is dedicated to these kinds of investigations. They have the power to stop her benefits and make her pay back any overpayments of benefits she's received. They can also get her prosecuted, but the outcome of that would depend on the courts. Hope this helps.

Only Mark.

It is fraud. It is called benefit fraud.

You can report her as has been said.

The only problem would be proving she was working for cash as there is no record of that and an investigation might not uncover it. But if you feel strongly about it then you should report it.

yummyhen3

Morning,

Yes it is fraud, below is a link where you can report it. I know it is not a good feeling dropping someone in it, but at the end of the day the deserve all they get, at the end of the day they are stealing from us all.

Mo Fayed

If you are lucky you can get money from the DHSS for grassing her up.

BINGO

I don't really understand the entire story. How can you know for sure if she is depressed or not?

Have you seen her behind the scenes?
This is coming from someone who suffers from Major Depression Disorder. I'm not as "lazy" as I used to be, but let me tell you something. When you get depressed and I mean really depressed you start to lose interest in everything around you. All you want to do is sleep or not be around people. As far as work goes, I quit many jobs. Being around people made me more depressed, I got claustrophobic.
She might be lazy, she might be depressed, or she might be both.

Have you gone over to see her? Have you asked her if she has gone on medication? Have you tried to help her get out of this rut?

Suggest going on anti-depressants to her. Even psychotics for that matter, it'll kick her brain in the *** and get her going. I'd suggest that she quit her job or take a leave of absence.

I hope this helps a lot.

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