UK Benefit fraud cheats offer hilarious excuses

Government ministers have released a list of entertaining and often hilarious reasons why people claim to be defrauding the UK government.

One guy when questioned about the benefit claimed by his wife said “I wasn't aware my wife was working because her hours of work coincided with the times I spent in the garden shed.” Another guy said “It wasn't me working, it was my identical twin.”

Every year £1.6 billion is lost by benefit and tax credit fraudsers. One of our favourites is “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.” Surely not.

Lord Freud, Welfare Reform Minister said that “Benefit fraud is no joke, and yet our investigators are routinely dealing with barefaced cheek and ridiculous excuses for stealing money from the taxpayer.”

Some of the other bizarre, bewildering and bemusing excuses:

“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 lives in a caravan in the drive, we're not together.”
“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.”
“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.”
“My wallet was stolen so someone must have been using my identity, I haven't been working”.

KitGuru says: Carrying a ladder for back pain therapy? Will this take off in the UK?

Become a Patron!