Grrr at my friend!!

[Bathsheba]

We also have an overpayment to repay because DH got a new job and his previous employer used some of his lump sum to clear a loan and didn't really tell us until it was too late. it's a real bugger having to pay this off... we never actually HAD the money. Anyhow... yes, you could be doing her a favour... BUT Marydean also had some good advice. If you put the whole money things aside (which always makes people emotional) consider what effect this will have on your friendship... you may not be able to look her in the eye afterwards just saying that it could change things more than you expect. In an ideal world you should be able to warn her that if she got caught she could be up for fraud which would in turn motivate her to fess up... but this isn't an ideal world... maybe give her a chance to come clean of her own accord first before dobbing. I think i would... but i live by the idea of doing unto others... she might not know about the fraud charges. Benefit of the doubt time.

[~Raven~]

I think it's best to tell her that she should let CL know herself because if they find out she will have to pay it back anyway and could end up prosecuted. The longer she is living in luxury, the bigger hole she is digging for herself in the long run.

She could always ring them and say that her and her DP have reconciled Give her the chance to do it herself before dobbing them in I reccon...

[Bathsheba]

I agree with Raven... give her the chance to contact them first... it's what most of us would want i think If she ignores this chance then take it further.

[megs]

Good luck with your decision, ideally she herself should come forward and advise they are partnered. But you need to do what is right for you, she chose to make it known they she is illegally receiving payments which has put you in an awkward position.

She needs to be aware that if she is found out then she will be prosecuted, and even though she was with her partner, as she is the one receiving the payments she will be the one that has to pay back all of the debt, and it can quite quickly add up to many many thousands of dollars.

[Nelle]

How frustrating. Have a chat to her and say that it concerns you, that if C'link ever find out that they're living together, that they will have to backpay the money and that will make things really really difficult for them. And there's a good chance C'link will find out, all that info seems to be sort of collective, medicare, c'link, tax...As Raven says, you can suggest she tells them they've reconciled.

I know it's awful that she is cheating the system. But I imagine that having to pay back a huge debt would take a significant toll on more than their finances, on their marriage, parenting, lifestyle - it could be really full on. She definitely needs to fix this! But as Bath points out, if it were me being dodgy, I know I'd like to be given the nudge to make things right, rather than being reported.

If she's not made any changes after a certain amount of time, well I guess she can't say she didn't know the consequences. It's possible she has no idea how serious the issue is though. Especially if she's sharing the info so freely!!

[e_p]

Really you are doing her a favour Reporting it. She won't see it that way but the sooner they find out the smaller her clink debt will be. We have a 3k overpayment and that was with notifying them as early as possible.
Someone else will do it if u don't and the longer it goes on the bigger the hole she will be in

what Pandora said - she will get caught eventually - through address matching, medicare, ATO, immigration...and if it takes Centrelink a few years to catch up with her, she will find herself with a big debt and possibly a prosecution. Reporting the information to Centrelink is anonymous, and the investigation is done in a way in which she may not even be aware that she has been reported, rather that she has been picked up in a random review process.

[smiles4u]

I have a so-called friend do the same thing years ago ... her DP was earning a taxable full-time income and she was working a full-time job cash-in-hand ... she went to C/L with a friend as a witness to say she and her partner (Father of her two kids) had split up ... she told C/L he had moved out but the whole time he was living there and no authorities came to check.

They went from living in a commission flat in Ascot Vale, Vic to buying land in Port Douglas (YES you read right) and she befriended the local bank manager who helped them to get a house loan so they could build a house on it which they did and then moved there.

Made me sick being on my own paying my taxes doing the ' right ' thing when others not only ripped off the system with my hard earn taxes helping to go to people like this them but they also got away with it.

DOB HER IN !!!!!!!!

.... YOU have nothing to feel guilty about, i would look at this way you are doing her a huge favour getting caught earlier than later when they end up ' owing ' more money then what they do now for money that was never theirs in the first place ... to think that money could have been helping someone in huge need of it rather then them clearly NOT struggling ... Oh grrrr makes my blood boil

[CrazyLady]

Mustn't be going on very exotic holidays on what you get from centrelink though

One of my ex mates got something like $1200 a fortnight for saying that her and her partner split up. If they were together he got something like $300 a fortnight taken out of his dole payment.

****es me off when people do this. Mothers have to go back to work to make ends meet and this woman sponges all thier taxes! It's vulgar and seriously dob her in. It's really not fair when mothers feel guilty for going back to work when there are people leeching off the government like this!

Sorry, had a bit of a rant but it's vulgar behaviour when people that really need govt support get knocked back so often.

[*LittleMissSummer*]

what an awful situation to be in.

But i do think either one of you needs to be honest. What she is doing is so unfair, its so unfair that its not even half funny. There are so many families struggling to live and here she is living like a queen because she is ripping off the government.

You could start off by saying that you know of someone who has recently been caught and they are now in a lot of trouble. See if that makes her be honest.

But if it doesnt you do need to report her. She will never know it was you.

BIG

[Jaffaz]

WOW I am suprised how many people suggest going straight to Clink to dob in your FRIEND?? What she is doing is wrong, wrong, wrong but she is your friend (isn't she?). I would talk to my friend about how much trouble she could get into and how unfair it is on those of us who do the right thing. It will catch up with her at some point 100%, but if I was her friend I wouldn't want to be the one to dob her in.

Hopefully if you talk to her she will stop and think about what she is doing. i don't know how she sleeps at night, i'd be a nervous wreck waiting for that phone call or letter (and it will come regardless of if you get involved or not).

Good luck getting to a decision that's right for you!!

[Visitor7]

To those that would never dob in a friend who broke the law ...
If they commit murder, you wouldn't dob, you'd wait for them to hand themselves in?
If they rob a bank, you wouldn't dob either?
Same thing here, the law is law. This is Fraud. This is against the law. End of story.
What is fraud?

Centrelink fraud is committed when a person knowingly gives false and misleading information to get a payment/s they should not be getting or do not tell Centrelink information they are obliged to tell us.
Fraud can be committed in a number of ways such as providing Centrelink with incorrect information either on forms completed, false statements, false identification or overall deliberately telling Centrelink the wrong information.

So if this friend is knowingly giving Centrelink false information to live in a life of luxury, then that is fraud. That is breaking the law.
I would never just sit back and wait for someone to hand themselves in if they broke the law. If I knew about it, then I have a right to take appropriate action.

[misty]

WOW I am suprised how many people suggest going straight to Clink to dob in your FRIEND?? What she is doing is wrong, wrong, wrong but she is your friend (isn't she?). I would talk to my friend about how much trouble she could get into and how unfair it is on those of us who do the right thing. It will catch up with her at some point 100%, but if I was her friend I wouldn't want to be the one to dob her in.

Hopefully if you talk to her she will stop and think about what she is doing. i don't know how she sleeps at night, i'd be a nervous wreck waiting for that phone call or letter (and it will come regardless of if you get involved or not).

Good luck getting to a decision that's right for you!!

It is theft. She may not be holding a gun in a bank, but it amounts to the same thing. Personally, I cann't imagine any of my close friend doing this. If I found out a close friend did rip off the system this way, I would likely confront them and tell them they need to 'fix' it or I will. If it weren't a close friend, I would likely just dob them in - without confronting them.

But the truth is, if you were a friend of mine you would likely know how I feel about this in the first place, so likely wouldn't expect much different.

So you have all been warned

[Janie71]

I have worked hard all my life and paid my taxes - taxes which are used to pay for such situations as mentioned. I have no problem at all with people who truly need these benefits claiming them - that is what we pay our taxes for. We look after each other (or at least we should) as we all have times when we need this extra help.

I'm afraid, however, that I have a real problem with people fraudulently obtaining benefits. But it is such a difficult situation to be in when the person committing the fraud is a friend. If they are a friend, then you should be able to sit down and let them know that what they are doing is illegal and not something that you agree with. I know for me if I did this and my friend still continued to commit the fraud, then I am afraid that they would no longer be someone that I would want to call friend. I would then have no problem at all in reporting them.

Good luck - I hope you find a solution that you feel happy with.

Janie xxx

[Just Me]

I agree that she has broken the law, but I also think there is a lot at stake here. I don't agree with what she is doing at all but I think that your friend deserves a chance to do the right thing. And to be honest, two of my brothers do drugs and I hate it, but I don't ring the police about it even though the law is the law. Some things are not helpful to the situation.

Your friends have a 5 month old baby and I don't think being caught up in fraud charges and having to go to court is helpful either. I think giving her a chance to be honest and sort it out for herself is the best option, but that is just my opinion . You could lose her as a friend by dobbing her in. I think it is awful what she is doing and I completely understand how you feel, but if you and her are offering each other some support raising your babies, you may miss that support more than you realise.

I don't think it will make any real difference whether you dob her in now or wait a couple of days. I think, like any decision, wait until you are feeling calm about the situation and decide what you think would be best then. Decisions made emotionally are sometimes ones that we come to regret down the line when we are feeling calm again (or at least that it the way it works for me). Also I would wait until I was calm to make sure that I was happy about my motives for dobbing her in. You have to have peace with the decision to dob her in because there could be a whole lot of consequences from your actions and I think you have to be prepared for that.

I have been very honest in my post and I hope that I haven't offended you by what I have said. I am not in any way trying to make you feel bad about dobbing her in, I just really want to encourage you to think about what you are doing, why you are doing it and how you might feel about the outcomes. I think you have to do what you believe is right, but in a way that you have peace with yourself about it.

Good luck, it is not an easy situation to be in

[deletedit]

and we got talking about finances and how hard it is etc.. anyway she blurts out and tells me the only reason they are living in LUXURY! i mean LUXURY, is because they have told centrelink they have split up so she is recieving a single parent payment AND rent assistant and whatever else, when her partner is out working a nicely paid job monday-friday.

That peeves me no end. SPP is $600 odd and you can earn a minor fortune on it before they cut you down at 20c in the dollar or something.

I haven't been on Centerlink long, but they deem my income so I get $320pf from them (often it is less), and I have 3 dependants. If I was single I'd get the full $600, plus extra FTB, and a vastly more generous income threshold. I can see why people rort the system. They could at least raise the income threshold a bit from $61pf, and perhaps assess it on the amount you earn *in the hand* instead of pre-tax, pre-deductions, pre everything, and take it back at 20c in the dollar like PPS rather than 50c. And lets not get started on cutting your FTB down when your partner earns more than $4000. Who earns LESS than $4000 these days?

If it was me I'd dob her in.

[~*familyof3*~]

i would and have dobbed in a friend!! Yep thats right i did dob in a friend and i dont regret it one bit!!! What she is doing is so wrong,and the thing that ticks me off is the ones who do the right thing are worse off,particularly for the reason thats others rip the system off. Other peoples tax's are paying for her to get extra money she isnt entitled to when there are prob people out there who damn well need and deserve it. I say tell her to call them and tell them or you will. Or if you dont want her to know just call them.

I have had a friend try and use me as a ref to say she was single i told the woman on the phone that NO i will not be a ref as by saying yes she is single i myself can get in striff so no i wont be a ref. My friend knew and we are still friends being an adult she understood why i wouldnt take the risk

[e_p]

They could at least raise the income threshold a bit from $61pf, and perhaps assess it on the amount you earn *in the hand* instead of pre-tax, pre-deductions, pre everything, and take it back at 20c in the dollar like PPS rather than 50c. And lets not get started on cutting your FTB down when your partner earns more than $4000. Who earns LESS than $4000 these days?

For PPS customers, income earned over $166.60 p/fortnight (plus $24.50 for each extra child) will reduce their entitlement by 40c per dollar. For PPP customers with a partner on a pension, combined income over $124 and less than $500 will reduce entitlement by 25c per dollar, and income earned in excess of $500 p/f gross will reduce entitlement by 30c per dollar. PPP customers with a partner NOT on a pension, entitlement reduces by 50c per dollar for income in excess of $62-$250 and 60c for each dollar earned over $250 p/f.

People who don't work earn less than $4000 p.a, as do people who work very minimally at award wage, or people who receive a tax free pension (such as DSP or Carers Payment).

[deletedit]

I'm in the '50c per dollar over $62' category (newstart) and he's over $4000 because he's on an allowance (PPP) not pension. So I lose both ways Three ways if you consider they take a lot more of my income into account than I actually earn because the centerlink and ATO income rules differ so much from each other. If we 'broke up' in our current situation, the income difference is something like $20,000 a year - I actually worked it out in between submitting 300 pages of forms to centerlink the other week. But it would be fraud, and our current situation is only temporary anyway.

I know a LOT of people where she's on SPP and he's on DPP or working - living separate of course - and they rake it in. Friend of mine is a teacher, her husband is a teacher and her sister (single with 7 kids) gets more in welfare than both of them do combined from working - and the sister is always broke! Friend rants about it to me quite often - she's infertile and loves kids and her sister neglects hers, so insult to injury. But she has no partner on the side (most of the kid's fathers are in jail or married to other women) so it differs a bit from the absent partner cases, since she's not actually fiddling the system.