jobcentreplus. data mining...

[timwilky]

Originally Posted by Red Herring

Hard as we might find it to believe quite a few "white van men" are working cash in hand and claiming benefits so any half decent police road check is going to include DSS staff and they should be asking those questions. You are of course quite at liberty not to answer, but then that might give reasonable grounds for wondering why......which used properly can open a whole bigger can of worms.

Assuming she asked you reasonably politely what was the problem with responding accordingly?

TBH, I was more annoyed that I had been insulted by her insinuating that by virtue of driving a knackered old van I was claiming benefits. I also own 2 cars less than a years old. If I had been stopped in them, would she assume I was in receipt of benefits? and yes I am a pompous arrogant snob and proud of it. I have earned the right.

[maviczap]

When you're driving a white van, you're tarred with the same brush Tim

[Red Herring]

I think you will find that her line of questioning was prompted by the fact that you were driving what is generally considered to be a commercial vehicle which by inference might mean that you were working, so clearly it is her job to establish if you are indeed working and if so what benefits you might be claiming..... "Questioning" is generally considered to be the quickest and most efficient means of doing this.

Of course it may be that you hung around her long enough to see that she was completely ignoring all the drivers of much newer vans, in which case I'll apologise now.

[littleoldman2]

Originally Posted by maviczap

Would have thought a simple check of the registered keepers address could have told them if anyone at that address was claiming.[/IMG]

They are often interested in the passengers as the driver is legit. My brother in law used to do this for a living.

[BanannaMan]

During the time I was in the UK for AR10, twice I was almost hit by a car.
And both of them were white vans!

About time they had a look at you lot!



I would be ticked off too Lance. Surely checking out the circumstances of whom they are paying out to would be easier and more efficient.

Originally Posted by Red Herring

I think you will find that her line of questioning was prompted by the fact that you were driving what is generally considered to be a commercial vehicle which by inference might mean that you were working, so clearly it is her job to establish if you are indeed working and if so what benefits you might be claiming..... "Questioning" is generally considered to be the quickest and most efficient means of doing this.

Of course it may be that you hung around her long enough to see that she was completely ignoring all the drivers of much newer vans, in which case I'll apologise now.

It might be her job to ascertain whether Tim was claiming benefits but Tim is entirely within his rights to politely, or impolitely for that matter, tell her to take a hike.

I don't believe there is any legal basis for them asking questions and they are just hanging off the coat-tails of it being an official VOSA inspection (making people feel like they have to answer) to try to catch a few poor people cheating the government out of a few quid.

Mean while shuffling all of your company profits through Ireland / Denmark / Luxenbourg so you pay 1% tax - totally legit.

Originally Posted by Bibio

no wonder its easy for people to cheat the system as one hand cant tell you what the other is doing.

A while ago I read somewhere that if the government fixed all the people who were underpaid as well as all the people who were cheating and getting more they'd actually wind up out of pocket on the deal as quite a lot of people don't get their full entitlement including some of those claiming for other things that they AREN'T entitled to.

Pretty sure a while ago someone was done for claiming and when they worked it out with the cash in hand work she was doing she should have been paid more than what she had falsely claimed. The internet being what it is I can't wade through the dross to find the article now.