Panorama: Britain on the Fiddle

[super jumbe]

Benefit claimants with Bentleys, second homes, yachts

Bentleys, 42ft yachts and restored farmhouses in France are not generally considered to be the hallmarks of life on benefits in Britain today.

Yet BBC Panorama has tracked down claimants leading double lives.

One man claims benefits for his rent on a council flat in Croydon yet was discovered living in Devon and running a village pub - commuting between the two in a Bentley.

Another man, claiming incapacity benefit for a bad back, told an undercover reporter about his trans-Atlantic sailing trip from South Carolina to the Azores on his yacht and his work in restoring a farmhouse in Normandy.

Experts estimate that £4bn of taxpayers' money is being lost to benefit fraud, tax credit fraud and social housing scams in the UK each year.

Overall, government is losing an estimated £22bn to fraud and error across all departments.

Croydon Council is also investigating the benefit claims of Stephen Sussams. Mr Sussams, 58, had his incapacity benefit stopped two years ago, but did not tell the council, which continued to cover most of the rent and council tax on his council flat as a result.

Investigators found that Mr Sussams appears to be leading a double life - one in a council flat in London and the other as a pub landlord in the village of Kingswear in Devon.

When Panorama found him he was driving a Bentley and told an undercover reporter that he had been living in the village for two and a half years.

When asked by the BBC about his council flat and benefit claim Mr Sussams said he could not discuss it because of Croydon Council's ongoing investigation.


Richard Bilton presents Panorama: Britain on the Fiddle



Benefit crackdown why panorama has to do the dirty job…..

Our Govt investigators are sitting on there’s backside getting high wages doing nothing, personally they should also be investigated.

[Lainie]

hopefully the new universal credit will sort a lot of it out. there are massive changes in the pipeline. just remember the dwp, local housing office, hmrc etc cannot investigate something they dont know about. if you know someone who is committing benefit fraud report them. the biggest fraud is tax credits and housing benefit. mostly mothers saying they are lone parents when they have their partner living with them

https://secure.dwp.gov.uk/benefitfraud/

between 7.00am and 11.00pm, seven days a week.

it can be done anonymously.

[bobwill]

I am very friendly with two Govt investigators and I dont think either are doing nothing, do you now how much evidence and time needed to bring a case and when it finally gets to court the judge lets them off. I for one would get fed up with the courts letting claiments off after I had got up for up to 3weeks at 5 in the morning filming them ether working or living with a parter .I think if the judges done there job it would stop

[gmb45]

they should do a program on mps on the fiddle, find out exactly what them basads are fiddling

[gopher7]

they should do a program on mps on the fiddle, find out exactly what them basads are fiddling

The program would last too long.

[ChelseaBun]

jeeze, a bentley?

I could hardly afford to ****ing eat when i was out of work and pregnant...

[nara]

they should do a program on mps on the fiddle, find out exactly what them basads are fiddling

A drop in the ocean compared to benefits swindles.

[gmb45]

A drop in the ocean compared to benefits swindles.

yeh but dont make it right, and the programm would be sure fire winner.

[super jumbe]

Originally Posted by ChelseaBurn
jeeze, a bentley?

I could hardly afford to ****ing eat when i was out of work and pregnant...
__________________




**** bentley

A yachts do you know how much it cost to run…………..

Another person running a pub in the middle of the city!!!!!!!!

Diabolical when I can not think if I will ever go on my holidays when money is that tight now.

[nara]

yeh but dont make it right, and the programm would be sure fire winner.

Been done.

BBC - Panorama - Is your MP working for you?

[gmb45]

Been done.

BBC - Panorama - Is your MP working for you?

be a lot more stuff hidden that wasnt included

[johnboy1974]

they should do a program on mps on the fiddle, find out exactly what them basads are fiddling

spot on gmb and when they got caught 99 per cent of them got off scot free as long as they paid it back- Meanwhile benefit fraud gets you a criminal record.

[gmb45]

spot on gmb and when they got caught 99 per cent of them got off scot free as long as they paid it back- Meanwhile benefit fraud gets you a criminal record.

yeh and when joe bloggs gets caught 99% will get proseecuted, the 1% of mps that got done was like a token gesture by the gov to say we are doing something like, woopee ****ing do, big deal

[Lainie]

well i dont know how they cant get the evidence. video taping does not lie. ive been in the fraud car. most admit it before it goes to court.