Letter: Fakes are playing benefits system
Wednesday 7th July 2010, 7:00AM BST.
Letter: There are people who are in receipt of incapacity benefit, who claim to have severe mental illness when in reality they do not.
They are fakes, who know how to exploit the system and have without any shame or guilt done so for years with no intention whatsoever of doing an honest day’s work or at the very least some form of charity work.
I know someone who was due to have a hip operation at the Orthopaedic Hospital, Gobowen, who at the last minute declined to have the op. The reason being he knew after he would get better again and walk again normally. He would then lose his disability living allowance.
So the NHS time waster thought, hang on a minute, if I don’t have the op I can continue to receive my allowance. He has not worked for years and years. He has a free England bus pass and still moans about public transport.
Name and address supplied
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It is not wise to judge the reasons that people do not have operations but he will find that he is not entitled to support if he has not taken advantage of an operation that would have improved his ability to keep mobile.
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Easy to stereotype when it is happening all over this Country, i hear of it every day!
I bet you this reader is correct, makes perfect sense to me.
I think you will find he will continue to receive full benefit and support and god knows what ever else he receives because he will just lie and make up a reason, this is the mentallity of these people – can’t believe you can’t see it!
Did you know, you only have say you are fightned of needles, the whole opertation will be cancelled and the benefits will continue, as there is no grounds to stop any benefit entitlement because of this.
Of course im sure the majority of the disabled etc are genuine and im not stereotyping all of these people, but you should be aware, this readers has highlighted a problem and it does happen and people are playing the system to their advantage, i just think that some people just don’t want to believe it.
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‘Easy to stereotype when it’s happening all over this country’
Priceless…do you really not see that as just further stereotyping?
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Always been a bit of a sceptic when joe public makes assumtions.
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Faking severe mental illness would not be an easy thing to get away with, you don’t just get signed-off by your GP, but are referred to see a mental health team of clinical psychologists, who put you through tests for assessment to come to a prognosis.
My son had to see seven health specialists before being able to go onto incapacity benefit.
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We know there are folks that play the system, but, just because you can’t see the disabillity, doesn’t mean it isn’t there
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Does that include the people who use walking sticks and walk normally? The amount of people now who use a walking stick and carry it as if its an umbrella – it makes a mockery of the people who genuinely cannot walk.
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Actually it does. If someone genuinely can’t walk then they would have no use for a walking stick. If they have difficulty in walking then the walking stick is an aid which they need when in difficulty – it doesn’t mean it has to be used at all times. My 83 year old mother is a clear example.
Get over your disablement jealousy – it is really creepy.
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So true…
I have a severe neurological dysfunction which leaves me 99+% housebound and around 50% bedbound. I’ve lost count of the amount of times people have said to me ‘You look well today’ when I feel close to death!
I even had a very close friend who told me that it must be great to be able to lay around all day when she had to be out working for a living. I told her I would love to swap places with her – needless to say she is now an ex-friend.
As the saying goes – ‘Never judge a book by it’s cover’, it’s a sign of pure ignorance.
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If he refuses treatment then his benefits will be cut. My father refused an op some years ago, (just before retirement), and had to get lawyers in, at full cost to the tax payer, to argue his position which was upheld in tribunal.
The reason for my father refusing the treatment? The specialists at the hospital said there was more chance of him dying on the table than the operation actually fixing the problem!
That type of treatment was despicable to a hard working man who had never cheated the system. Although I do not doubt that there are some who abuse the system there is a safeguard in place to protect both the public purse and the individual. Unfortunately engaging with it is expensive to the tax payer and stressful to the individual…
Have to agree with the previous posters: without all the facts it is wrong to condemn someone.
As for criticising public transport, that has nothing to do with the complaint raised by the letter writer and gives the distinct impression of sour grapes.
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There are a lot of people fiddling their taxes too. Time we looked at them more closely?
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Nice comment – totally agree!
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An assumption again
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Hardly an assumption, it’s common knowledge that lots of business owners fiddle with the taxation system to get out of paying as much as they should.
If you have facts to the contrary then I would suggest that the census is flawed.
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Totally agree!
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Not an assumption at all. It’s well known that there is a huge amount of evasion of tax that cannot be chased because the Revenue don’t have enough specialist staff to pursue it.
Some 10 years ago it was discovered that whilst the average Revenue investigator recouped over 7 time his/her annual salary in recovered revenue, the average DWP benefits investigator was lucky to recover his/her annual salary.
That’s not because either were unsuccessful in their work – it’s just that the amounts of fiddled benefit pale into insignificance when compared to the amounts of fiddled tax, and tax affairs are often far more complicated, becuase the rich know how to hide their money, and it takes highly specialised accountancy skills to get your hands on it.
And of course, you won’t find a Tory government chasing wealthy UK tax ‘dodgers’ – one of them funded much of their campaigning – albeit via legal, but morally questionable tax avoidance.
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Dear Star Editor
If you insist on publishing this sort of unsubstantiated, self-opininonated bilge (and you do it day after day) at least insist that the cowardly little worms reveal their names & addresses.
“No name No Publication” should be your watch word.
Brace up, Mr Editor, or you let down a fine newspaper
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Thats the way news works, it dosen’t matter what the story is, if someone has an opinion on something, they should be allowed to have it published!
I actually agree with this reader and i can ensure you it is correct, i actually work with thse people day in and day out, total blaggers!
I have a friend and she is on incapacity benefit and has never worked, she is 27 now and claims to have a bad knee, she has been offered 4 operation in the last 4 year to correct her so-called problem and get to the hosptial and just before she meets her consultant, pretends to faint or has a panic attack and the operation is cancelled, she then calls me to tell me, she’s got away with it again and there is nothing anyone can do about it.
Mental illness is totally easy to blag, believe me, and if the pro’s can not diagnose you, they will disgnose you to the nearest condition they can think off, and thats it, benefits provided, problem sorted!
So there you go, that is a true story, please don’t tell me she is the only one in the Country to do this, whether it may be a physical or mental disability!
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Shropshire Star,
Claire has made a serious allegation of benefit fraud. You should hand her details to the police for follow up. That type of behaviour is unacceptable and withholding information pertaining to ongoing criminal activity is against the law, isnt it?
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Again make the formal complaint and take all your evidence with you .
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Hi, yes, i will do.
She is a good friend of mine, and to be honest i didn’t want to be the one to report her, but your right it is unfair and against the law.
It’s just difficult really to do that to a friend.
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A slight modification to this letter could also be:
There are people who are in receipt of tax benefits, who claim to need tax deductions when in reality they do not.
They are fakes, who know how to exploit the system and have without any shame or guilt done so for years with no intention whatsoever of doing an honest day’s work or at the very least some form of charity work.
People and the press tend to gloss over tax cheats who take money from our services, as if it is somehow different or funny. Don’t forget these before kicking off your nasty witchhunts like in the 1980s.
Of course people will play the system, they always will. Since ‘greed is good’ era courtesy of Thatcher M, it’s what rich people do, but if poor people do it – they’re bad.
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Wrong paper, mate. The Daily Mail is over there –>
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^ = Win.
Suggest Cut & Paste as response to all letters to editor – it’ll be inappropriate in..oooh…1% of cases.
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If you have proof of someone committing benefit fraud why have you not reported them?
Making claims against people in the paper will not prevent them from making further fraudulent claims and depriving those that DO need financial help from that money too.
As for this chap’s reluctance to have an operation, there may well be an alternate reason for his decision.
I myself had 2 operations last year, both done at PRH and both supposedly to “cure all my problems and fix me back good as new” those 2 operations actually caused me a physical injury I did not have prior to the ops, and what is more I will now never walk again thanks to their ‘help’! Knowing this, I would NEVER consider any further surgery, even if it meant I’d suffer as a result of not going in.
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As advised in my previous comment this person is a close friend of mine, im sure you can imagine the difficulty of reporting her.
I didn’t write the comment to have a moan,of course i know that….
“Making claims against people in the paper will not prevent them from making further fraudulent claims”
I simply added the comment to inform people i know this is going on and is a similar story, and to advise it happens every day.
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This all reminds me of an attractive young lady(prison and attractive do not go well for the attractive one male or female) on question time in the audiance .
She came out with all in prison get all sorts from Play stations etc etc and if the smash them they get new ones straight away and prison is a nice place basicaly que all the looks of those on the panel ” yes dear you clearly have not got a clue have you “lets move on again a person making assumptions and when asked had she been in one NO BUT I HAVE A FRIEND WHO WORKS IN ONE ofcourse you do dear.
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My story is about the rental assistance, I begged the spanish working lady (mother look like)who interviewed at welfare here in Las Vegas Cambridge after 2 months of waiting list to get that interview, such a long line at 5am to just to get in the door, didnt get my foot in till 730am. Knowing that i received a notice to leave my apartment because of unable to pay and have no money.I begged her to help pay $500 one month only, only, to buy me sometime to stay there but she didnt.(as i have seen other people easily get a quick check temporary for their rent, and my was also emergency) but for this, she did not lay a helping hand and all the choices and decisions was all on her at that very moment and she denied me, maybe because i was a male and a single father who is unemployed and broke, and for all of this,,me and my 8 yr old son winded up in the streets and were evicted! i lost many items and trashed most of them as me and my son battled the cold on December 22nd before Christmas pushing a grocery carts at night with our stuffs,,, Ill say how evil people become and greedy when it comes to money and it comes to mind their 1st place of choice when making decisions and 2nd to help people. What they didnt know is how much rage and fury they have done to me and for my son and until now, my blood still boils and I wouldnt hesitate to pull a trigger when i get the chance to see those people who did those to me.
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And yet the minute David Cameron says we are going to weed out this benefit fraudsters and cut them off everyone is up in arms bleating ‘you can’t do that!’
If you can walk, get off your backside and work or starve instead, I’m sick of paying you to watch Jeremy Kyle all day.
As for mental illness, well I’m sorry but probably 95% of the country could claim stress for what they’ve suffered during the recession, life is a b****, it’s not easy and anyone of any substance just gets on with it.
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But surely, anyone who can watch Jeremy Kyle all day deserves all the money they can get for their hideous suffering.
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I don’t believe that anyone would deny the genuine needy their right to assistance via the benefits system. Unfortunately, for far too long now, it has been open to abuse by slackers and fraudsters to the extent that it desparately needs someone with the courage to undertake a thorough overhaul of the whole system.
Though you won’t hear it published through official sources, estimated losses through fraud alone have reached at least £15 billion per year. That’s at least remember – think of the inroads that amount would make into our country’s debt problems. If you don’t believe that figure, put in a freedom of information request to the DWP; it’s probably even higher now.
Someone else has mentioned the amount recovered by DWP investigators. I’m not sure where he got those stats from but I was employed in that area ten years ago, and we were discovering overpayments far in excess of our salaries. The problem with recoverability lay (and still lies) with court judges who seem to view this crime as unimportant despite the obvious fact that it is theft from each and every one of us who pay our taxes.
In addition, ridiculous repayment methods whereby benefit thieves repay huge overpayments by weekly deductions of usually less than £20 per week from their latest benefit, are laughable. And yes, you read correctly, despite having been convicted of fraud, they are often reawarded benefit again soon after – ludicrous.
I am not judging all those on benefits as being fraudulent or workshy; it would be wrong to do so. My current work which takes me into contact with those claiming shows me that there are many, genuine and needy people out there, and I will do all I can to help those.
It is however, regrettable that there is also a large number who have no intention whatsover of seeking work (far higher than many might imagine); it is they who need to be weeded out and to that end, the letter writer’s observations are much closer to reality than many may wish to believe.
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re stresed but not claiming – sitting watching day time tv is the ultimate sanction for being
unemployed – even Maggie would’nt be so cruel and as for Jeremy Kyle – definately cruel and unusual, point the way to the salt mines!
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Having worked for over 50 yrs in various employments incl 34 yrs requiring climbing steps/ladders and put up with severe and stiff pain for 9 yrs[actually love work] i gave in and had 2 new hips[now pain free and very mobile] at the wonderful Telford Hosp.Having to use crutches pre op to get about i was encouraged to try and get a Diabled Driving Notice and anything else.I was promptly told by local Welsh Authority that my disability[quite rightly] wasn,t permenant and therefore entitled to nothing.How come somebody else[aren, we under same rules] can defer an op and continue claiming everything,Suspect this person isn,t too bad and is conning the system
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Hmm,
Anybody realised/experienced that the JC+ staff can also be ‘benefits system’ abusers?
F’instance. I am not mentally disabled, though I am somewhat dyslexic. (I’ve been through the WAIS-III test and found out the ‘dyslexic’ issue, and an IQ of 140, and above average at many other things tested. No mental instabilities. I’m not boasting, just reporting what it said)
I get/got no help whatsoever with this ‘dyslexia’. When I asked for help it was promised but never provided. When I complained about this I was ignored. When I complained about this ‘ignorance’ I was targetted with deflections and told to ‘write in’. This resulted in more evasion and then, despite being instructed that the only way to sort it out was to ‘write in’, ultimately I was labelled a ‘persistent writer’.
When this failed to shut me up I was verbally insulted and lied to and lied about. And I was told that they were doing it on purpose to avoid adressing the issues. I asked for copies of my records so that I could point out errors and ask for investigation/correction. I was told “We have been told by the government to withhold copies of your documents from you, because you will sue us”. When I complained about this treatment I was then labelled ‘mentally unstable’, because ‘claimant thinks we are doing it on purpose’.
So…
Where and who is the abuser here?
Can I claim incapacity benefits for being mentally unstable then, and use their own ‘diagnosis’ as proof? Nope, because they say it doesn’t exist.
Can I get at my records? Nope, because they say I am ‘mentally unstable’ and seeing the records might ‘disturb’ me; So they lie and say the record doesn’t exist. I’ve seen it. And they’ve sent a copy to my doctors, I saw it on screen. My doctor wont give me a copy, because ‘it might disturb you’.
Any comments?
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Do you know, al this fraudsters this, and work shy that, disability benifit will be cut etc etc, it just doesn’t bother the real fraudsters, because they are mentally and physically strong enough to con the system, the people it does hurt are those who do have mental and physical problems, they are marginalised, they will be and are the ones losing out, as they don’t have the strength to push for help, because they are simply to ill, my father, could walk, not far, not fast, walking sticks he hated and they didn’t help, he was afraid to even wash the car in case someone saw him and accused him of being a fraud, he wouldnt pull up a weed in the front garden for the same reason, thing is he didnt have a label on him that said i’m riddled with cancer and the only thing that is holding me up is a wondeful bit of cage work in my back, oh and i’m dying ok? us disabled people have some pride, at times we can cut a lawn, wash the car, pull a weed, what you don’t see is what we are like afterwards!!!! we have to keep moving for our own sanity and health, my motto “if I dont use it i’ll lose it”, but now unless we have limbs missing or are wheelchair bound we are being forced to stay in doors and add another disability, depression!!
I have an Aunt who works in a medical test centre, she says it’s easy to see the frauds, and it’s so upsetting to see the real disabled mental or physical so afraid.
The point of all this, there isn’t as many fakes as the media/government would have us believe, the only real savings that will be made will in the main be from those who havent got the strength to go through the process, it is not easy
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