Grrr at my friend!!

[briggsy's girl]

i have dobbed in extended family (BEFORE i started working for c'link), so i'd sure as hell dob in a friend. doesn't matter your relationship to them, if they are KNOWINGLY doing the wrong thing, they are breaking the law. if i knew of someone committing any other crime, i would hand them over - i wouldn't harbour a murderer, armed robber or pedophile. why would i allow someone to commit fraud and get away with it. there may not be the violence involved, but there is still a CRIME behind what they are doing. Every time we turn the other cheek, every time we let people get away with something like this, we are not only allowing the fraud to happen, we are condoning/supporting them in breaking the law

i look at it two ways - one, why should they be living the high life on money they're not entitled to. i'm currently living on the poverty line due to a severe change in our financial circumstances. i could easily say DH and I have split. wouldn't take much at all. but to do it, i'd have to have people help me to lie, so i'm drawing other people into a CRIMINAL activity. not on.

the other way - if this person is my friend, i don't WANT to see them prosecuted for something stupid. which, really, it's STUPID GREED that makes people do this. i have personally dealt with customers who have done exactly this. they have been caught, they have been charged, they have done prison time for their fraudulent behaviour - and you know what - when they've paid their dues legally, they STILL have to pay back EVERY SINGLE CENT they have fraudulently claimed. being convicted of the crime is on your record for life. it follows you everywhere.

yes, this person is your friend. yes, you may feel like crap dobbing them in, but ultimately, you're doing the right thing by everyone by dobbing her in. getting a debt of five months worth of payments (at worst several thousand dollars) is a hell of a lot better than her being prosecuted and having that noose around her neck for good. she may be hurt, and you may feel uncomfortable doing it, but it NEEDS to be done. you will continue to be angry and resent her if you don't anyway. if oyu put the tip off through, you know you've done what you can - if she continues to lie, it is on her. sorry ladies, i don't agree with suggesting she correct things now - it needs to be done from the beginning - there should never have been a claim and saying they've reconciled NOW won't correct the wrong they have done in the past. the penalties need to be handed down (debts etc) or they will never be accountable for their actions.

ok, off my soapbox now

[e_p]

I dealt with a mum yesterday who was in tears because that morning she had received a phone call from fraud investigation, had her PPS cancelled and a debt of $52,000 raised - I treated her with dignity and was kind, helpful and non-judgemental, but she couldn't look me in the eye she was so embarassed - she is potentially facing prosecution. She told me she had been meaning to do the right thing all along (4 years) but couldn't bring herself to do it because she knew how much she was going to owe - in the end someone else provided the information in the form of a tip off. If you know someone is doing something wrong, report them NOW so it doesn't get worse for them. You'll potentially stop them from having a criminal record.

[turtleschell]

Wow, people are so harsh.
Your friend probably hasn't thought about this enough to realise how wrong and unfair it is. She probably just had the idea spontaneously, when filling in the forms. I'm sure that once you explain to her the effect of her behaviour, and where that money is actually coming from, she will realise. And remind her that she will get caught easily.
As soon as she applies for a loan, with her partner or without, Centrelink will start checking up. And I am sure one day she will want to get a loan.

[Lulu]

Gawd, but when does the spontaneity end? Each time she withdraws the money? Or goes on a holiday?

I know for alot of them, they get used to that level of "income" and don't want to let it go.

You could tell when the tip off team had done a big round of investigations because we would have a sudden rush of people into the office claiming they were now, in fact partnered after all....

[allycat06]

She must have thought about it enough to realise that lying=extra money, sounds rather calculated to me. If after talking to her again (telling her how c'link catches up with people eventually) it is obvious that she is knowingly and deliberatley frauding the system then I would dob her in for sure.

[Oscar&Grouch]

ok ladies, so an update since i posted this post. It was my bday a couple of days ago i had a quite family and friends BBQ to which i invited my "friend" whilst this bbq all she did was brag about getting a new car (ford terratory) so not cheap, then bragged about her and her DP buying a house next year blah blah.
I got rather upset again and felt like such a bad mum because im working 6 days a week missing out on my sons milestones because i got pregnant to a a$$hole who wont support me or his son. So after staying up till 2am with my mum and nan talking and crying my mum called up c/link and gave them a tip off. Im not 100% sure if anything has happend of yet.
I know its not a friend thing to do and im feeling very uneasy about it all, but im p!ssed she is a SAHM living off my taxes buying new cars and houses.

[briggsy's girl]

just wanted to add some stuff here about data matching. there are so many ways to get caught out. by doing a normal tax return, the partner would put down that he is partnered so that he gets the tax rebates for being partnered (medicare levy reduction etc) and that they have a dependant. it may take several years too get caught out, but it does come across eventually. now, if you take into account that, claming payments as a single person means parenting payment at up to 600 a fn, ftba 150 per fn and ftbb at 130 per fn (ball park figures), rent assistance up to around 130 a fn - if she is not entitled to these payments (she may be entitled to some ftb but i'm playing devils advocate here), you're looking at upwards of 1000 a fortnight she is getting that she may have to pay back. the debt will go against HER, the criminal conviction (if one is made) goes against HER. she will get caught eventually, and it will all come out.

right now, THEY are living it up on that money - if they seperate somewhere down the track, the debt doesn't get split. the criminal conviction doesn't get split. SHE has to cop to that for however long it takes to repay it all - and any criminal conviction doesn't go away - it will make her less employable in some fields of work if she decides to work when her child is older

i know how very hard it is to live on bugger all money. i've done it in the past (and i'm doing it again now) - i know how tempting it is to work out how to get more from the government to help out. this isn't the way to go about it though. this person KNOWS she is doing the wrong thing. She is bragging about it. She has no intention of coming clean.

[~*familyof3*~]

O&G i just wanted to say i think you did the right thing. Nowadays i dont think anyone can claim there single on a clink form and cliam they didnt know the rules completely. Heck you have to sign the deculation(sp) on the back. And it sure as heck isnt fair that she gets a new car and house when she is partnered when single mums struggle to get a car to start with let alone buy a house grrrrrr

[Peach*]

I think its a bit harsh that your 'friend' is showing off about having money when she would know your working hard to support your DS solo. *hugs*

[tattoo_mama]

alot of ppl are saying dont dob her in shes your friend but really if she is bragging about it at a party couldnt it have been anyone who rung in and 'dobbed' her in? i wouldnt feel bad at all... a friend doesnt rub in how well off she is (illegally well-off at that!) when she can see your hurting and struggling....

BUT i really cant talk.... XP is doing exactly the same thing (living with his new gf in her govt house, both on single parent centrelink, he even tried to call child support and tell them he had DD more so he wouldnt have to give me any money!!) and they are blabbing on about getting this govt house for $120 a week (if they knew XP was there theyd get kicked out) and how well off they are....im DYING to dob them in but then i know if they loose thier house XP wont be able to have DD on the weekends and although it ****es me off to no end that they are wroughting the system, i need those 2 days a week break!!!

please do it darling xx

[Raupe]

Totally agree!!! Those are the people who are making it harder for everyone else! It comes all out of the government's wellfare budget - which means there will be less in the budget for people who REALLY need it. My mum did it hard being a single mum to three kids + dog + cat + who-knows-what-else. They (Centerlink) give you sooo little to live on... It's horrible how your 'friend' is so selfish and takes money that other mums would need a lot more!! Good on you for letting C/L know! I would do the same.

Also, as the other ladies already said, if she is bragging like that in front of everyone, she will never suspect who actually did it - it could have been anyone. Furthermore, you are saving her in a way. Because if C/L found out about this in five years time (and they would have one day!) - imagine the debt she would have accumulated by then! No way would she be able to pay that off! So you might just have saved her from jail-time...


Anyway, let us know if you hear anything new! Big

[*EJ*]

Sorry you had been put in this situation and good on you for working hard to provide for your LO. The system is set up to help people in need and good honest people who do need the help can have such a difficult time in getting it because of the grueling process they have had to set up to stop people missusing the system.

[Little Chicken]

good for you and your mum. Sounds like she was never going to 'fess up to it.

[Glamourcide]

alot of ppl are saying dont dob her in shes your friend but really if she is bragging about it at a party couldnt it have been anyone who rung in and 'dobbed' her in?

That being said though, the other people may not be privy to the fact that she's illegally claiming SPP, they might just think the couple in question are just really smart with money... I know DH and I have been accused a few times of lying to C'Link because we're not broke as a joke and I'm a SAHM, but we are 100% honest, open and forthcoming with C'Link when it comes to DH's income and my FTB claim so I *know* we're doing the right thing.. could just be that we have money to live comfortably because we're not being stupid with it like a lot of people we know (drinking, drugs, going to clubs, out to dinner with friends regularly, buying expensive junk like video games etc etc). Not to say any of those things are 'bad' or that you shouldn't do them, but it just really irks me when people see DH and I having a bit of spare cash because we're not frivolous with it (we seriously never go anywhere lol, just sit at home on weekends and watch TV, neither of us 'drink' - ie I might buy a $4 bottle of wine every 8 weeks, DH never drinks unless we're at a party), and go, 'Oh well they must be lying to C'Link because WE don't have that kind of money!' (Um, yes you do, you just spend it on useless cr*p and don't realise where it's all gone).
So by the same token, if people know she and her partner are together and don't know she's lying to C'link about her circumstances, they might just think they're really good at budgeting or whatever, kwim??

OP, I think you did the right thing by telling your mum and letting her put in the tip for you. It's a hard situation to be in, but what your friend is doing is really unfair and it sounds like she's not going to fix the 'mistake' on her own accord. Better she gets found out now rather than in years to come when the debt is far more than she can repay.
x

[tattoo_mama]

Donna, if they arent doing anything wrong then the 'bragger' has nothing to worry about do they? :P at least the OP has done the right thing and dobbed in a 'suspected' roughter, kwim?

[Glamourcide]

Oh yeah, I kwym Just saying that fingers might get pointed if her perfect parade gets rained on, if the people she's bragging to don't know she's claiming what she's not entitled to... but yeah, I reckon OP's definitely doing the right thing by dobbing her in. C'Link's never checked us out but that could just be because my 'friends' are too lazy to bother picking up the phone to dob, even if they did, there'd be nothing to find because DH and I are legit I did f up my FTB last year because I underestimated DH's income, but I'm wearing that with a smile because it was a genuine mistake and I'm more than happy to pay back what I wasn't entitled to receive. This year's gonna be a right biartch because we've just become part-owners of a house and DH's inheritance should be going through in a couple of weeks so I'm going to have to jump through hoops, pay to get my tax return done and run around back and forth between ATO and C'link because it's really complicated. But again... ya gotta do what ya gotta do - I'm not in this parenting gig to rip off taxpayers

[briggsy's girl]

quick Q for you Donna - how do you KNOW you haven't been investigated? if someone has done a tip off saying they believe you're claiming something you shouldn't be, c'link fraud team can look, see that you're not claiming anything untoward, and close the investigation! If all you get is FTB, and you're listed as partnered with a reasonable estimate in place (they can check previous years incomes etc), there is no reason to contact you. the investigation would be closed with no need for you to know anything about it...

[Glamourcide]

A fair point, BG Ah well, it's a comfort to me to know that whatever people might think, I know I'm in the right and I'd hate to waste the fraud squad's time! I couldn't lie to C'link even if I was dodgy lol, my aunty's worked for them for over a decade and she's on my FB so is privy to every minute detail of my day-to-day life - and I know she'd have no problem dobbing me in if she thought there was anything sus going on!

I just remember MIL and FIL saying that back in the day C'Link used to send people around to check up on 'house mates' of the opposite sex to make sure there were indeed separate beds and clothes were stored separately etc lol... not sure if it's true or if that would be legal in this day and age but I certainly haven't ever had anybody ask questions of me that I hadn't opened myself up for (by walking into C'Link and making a claim or contacting them personally to change/update details etc)