Some unusual excuses given when people have been caught committing benefit fraud

Here at South West Law, one of the U.K.’s leading benefit fraud solicitors based in Bristol, we fully respect the fact that everybody is entitled to a defence and, as a consequence, it is not our place to question or judge the motives of our clients. In many cases where we become involved, the supposedly ‘fraud’ has been a genuine misunderstanding of how the system works and what benefit entitlements involved. For anyone who has claimed benefits, you will know that everything seems remarkably complicated.

There is a very interesting article on the government’s Civil Service website written by a benefit fraud investigator and in the article is included an image of some of the reasons given by people caught committing benefit fraud which we have included above. We then decided we would include a few extra ‘excuses’ given by people who have been caught claiming benefits when they have been in receipt of undisclosed income which we thought you might appreciate:We become involved with our clients either from the time they are first investigated, or from the time they receive official notification of intended prosecution for benefit fraud. Our recommendation is that the moment you believe you may have a problem with benefit fraud investigators is to get in contact with us. Our aim is to provide you with fair legal representation.

“We don’t live together he just comes each morning to fill up his flask”.

“I wasn’t using the ladders to clean windows, I carried them for therapy for my bad back.”

“I had no idea my wife was working! I never noticed her leaving the house twice a day in a fluorescent jacket and a Stop Children sign.”

“I didn’t know I was still on benefit.”

“I didn’t declare my savings because I didn’t save them, they were given to me.”

“He does come here every night and leave in the morning and although he has
no other address I don’t regard him as living here.”