Today's Benefits Liar

[joeluke]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3158036/Benefits-claimant-says-crippled-work-caught-lifting-17-stone-mobility-scooter-stairs-flat.html

'claims he cannot climb three stairs'

Looks to me like he's managing it without a problem, and whilst dragging a heavy object up the steps

[hc4361]

Even the blind, Sinderella?

[Mamyalynne]

They were death traps - one way to reduce numbers I suppose.

[Mamyalynne]

Do you know the first thing that crossed my mind?


If the builders working across from me had seen a disabled person approach steps with a scooter,they would have helped without a word.Not sat and watched and compared it to a comedy sketch.

But I realise that adds nothing to the debate, sorry.

[EDDIE51]

The picture is not of him on stairs but on a wooden ramp with metal 'grips'.
It is a lot easier to pull the scooter up that, you would not have to actually lift the weight, just pull it up the ramp on it's rear wheels.

[EDDIE51]

Looked again my screen was a bit blurred, yes it is steps. But those scooters have an extra set of small wheels behind the main ones to make them easier to take up steps.

[Hypognosis]

Well, it's not as if he was refereeing a football match, playing golf, swimming with dolphins in the Med, or typical fraudster activity.

Did he share his medical details with the newspaper voluntarily or did someone with vigilante mentality leak it to the press?

Or is the NHS medical databank already as porous as mobiles' voice mail used to be?

[anotheoldgit]

Why isn't there a ramp I thought a law was brought out where the owners of premisses were compelled to provide disabled access, i.e. a ramp.

The scooter would not have been too heavy to lift in the way it was, since the heaviest part of such a vehicle is in it's batteries which are situated in the rear.

[Peter Pedant]

// How did the paper find out exactly what money he receives and why?//

because they are journos.... you know phone hacking and going thro dustbins and all those things the rest of us do.

News is info that other people dont want you to read ( Randolph Hearst I think )

[Retrochic]

"he has claimed to have had 6 heart attacks" Easily proved or disproved and if he is correct then the Sun is going to get one heck of a libel claim. Just more gutter press stirring up hatred for anyone on Benefits. He is having to lift his scooter up three steps because there is no ramp into his flat. That IS an issue.

[Hypognosis]

Actually, instead of all this covert, private investigator type stuff, wouldn't we get quicker result if investigators were sent in, to monitor the claimant in their home all day and including their weekly shopping, just to observe their difficulties. No helping lift the scooter, no care assistant type activities, just sitting with them, making sure their life is as dull as their claim form makes it out to be.

If fake, either the boredom or the strain of acting for 14 hours straight, every day will make them cave in.


Okay, even eith a shift system, the observer staff will be driven up the wall by the boredom too but there are loads of people, like joeluke, who would surely jump at the chance to nail these frauds.

[Retrochic]

Hypognosis -: have you any real knowledge of the Disability payment system?(and no I am not on Benefits I work 2 jobs) Disability Benefits (now PIP) are not means tested and you can get them even if you work. Not being able to walk does not prevent you from working in some jobs ( customer telephone sales for instance). Those who say they 'can't work' must be either really ill , cancers,strokes etc. or just don't want to work (like a lot of full able bodied people)

[hc4361]

This sort of thing has to got to have a negative effect on genuine claimants. Those that can do a little of something, sometimes such as walk a few steps or swim will be reluctant to do so in case they are either reported by a neighbour or splashed all over the papers.

Many people genuinely can't work because of hidden illnesses which are life threatening and debilitating but can still walk at least some of the time. It is important that they do as much activity when they can to prevent further deterioration and depression, unless advised not to by a medical professional.

I know a woman for whom walking is an absolute agony but she will not use an aid of any kind to walk to the car from her house - too proud. I feel that even this small level of activity is helping her and if she felt she should use her wheelchair all the time because of the fear of being reported she would probably decline in body and spirit.

[Hypognosis]

@Retrochic

I have pretty minimal knowledge of the Disability Benefits setup. I am aware that people with Disabilities run up expenses which the able bodied do not, so the most that any claimant can do is break even, not exactly live it up - which is why fraudsters become conspicuous.

I am also acquainted with many of the ATOS horror tales, as they circulate like wildfire, on social media (you will not have seen these if you block even mildly lefty contacts).