Forums Forums General Forums A - Z Lifestyle The Benefit Cheats / Cheaters

I Do agree that there are some who need benefits and are looking to seek work.
But what about a ones who claim they cant work and can.Example, bad heart,back problems.and has been making this an excuse for years.
How long does it take for the benefits to check up on poeple like this.

or the ones claiming that they are stressed or depressed when they clearly aren't

There are genuine cases for people being on benefits we no, such as just left school and cant get a job due to having no experince. People who have been made redundant, people who have to leave work to be a carer to family member. People who are sick eg with cancer etc. We all understand that, its the people who play the system , claiming for being a lone parent when in fact they are not. People who claim housing benefit they no they arent entitled to , that one is always in the papers. People who say they cant walk then go on a skiing holiday, thats another thats in the papers as well.

Anyone who has commented in this debate should take the time to read that article.





The people who play the system deserve to suffer the consequences of their action. I don't believe that to be in dispute.

However, what is contentious is the willful stigmatizing of genuine claimants as scroungers, to suit a political agenda. To spell it out, to deliberately overstate the extent of fraud, and insinuate that claiming benefits should be viewed negatively as a starting point, in order to be seen to be justified in dismantling the welfare system, in what is no more than a naked ideological attack on the poor and vulnerable.

From many comments within this thread, it regrettably looks like the Tory spin is being swallowed hook line & sinker in some quarters.

People who through no fault of their own either can't work or can't find work are deserving of better treatment than to be abused, derided, and have what little they have squeezed even more. The fraud argument is a red herring in this context, thrown in to muddy the waters by a malevolent government. Of course there is a debate to be had about cheating, but it should not blur the social responsibility we have as a society to protect those who are genuinely in difficulty. To suggest they are somehow undeserving, or living a life of luxury, is frankly laughable.

Of course there are always high-profile cases exposed in the media, which I applaud, but can either of you provide figures as to how widespread that problem may be, or alternatively would you simply like to believe it is widespread, in order to be angry about it?

In terms of the cases you mention, be it in relation to physical or mental health, are you qualified medically to make clinical judgements in each individual case, or is it just possible that the majority are genuine, despite your reservations and assumptions? Mental health issues in particular are often perceived as bogus because they are not immediately obvious to the uninformed, leading to unnecessary prejudice and detraction.

The Guardian article was, I thought, balanced, well reasoned and well written. It's true that it's the high profile cases of abuse of the system which grab the headlines. However (and I've mentioned this before in an earlier post), the figure for fraud, given in the article as "not rising beyond 3%", is clearly inaccurate since it obviously cannot include those who cheat the system and go undetected. It's certain that the true figure is greater but because, by definition, there are no statistics, we don't know what it is.

...... but if, as you say, the government cannot include those who cheat but go undetected, is it not a bit convenient for you to infer it is a statistically significant amount? By definition, if they are undetected, how do you know whether there are a large amount of such cases, or whether they are negligible?

To suggest the government figures are significantly inaccurate can be no more than speculation, and I would question why you would wish to speculate in this particular manner.

yes i totally agree with you on the cancer etc,no there not an exact number of poeple who are robbing the system blind, Reason is the benefit system has lost track as to the ones who claim they have a heart problem, sore back and can go jogging,keep fit etc,These poeple are very clever and they get away with it,And will never admit to ripping the system off.
Its got that bad that neither man or wife work.And never intend to work either.

The bedroom tax is unfair, but it will catch out the ones who are playing the system,thats why alot are in a panic.The country is in such a state,and its getting worse.

Sadly the genuine cases dont outnumber the cheats and scammers, I'm sure.

some people who have commented on this thread should go and work for the dwp!you seem to think you know more about our benefit system than anybody else.just because people claim that does not automatically make them bad people,maybe they are just unfortunate to be put in a position to have to claim benefits.

All I've said is that the given figure is inaccurate; I didn't say "significantly inaccurate". Clearly, I don't know how inaccurate; neither does the Government. I just object to a figure being used when it's obviously incorrect and too low.

why do you think that?EI-Aych.

It's not all you've said though is it?



So you don't know how inaccurate the government figures are, and you acknowledge you have no evidence that abuse is rife, and yet you cling to your point!

How many cases are you personally aware of then, and have you taken any action to report them?

Smells like prejudice to me, when I look at the dictionary definition as: "an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand, or without knowledge, thought or reason".

Still, to be fair, I guess only you can honestly appraise your motives.