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Fake claims

stevenotts01

A relative of mine has asked me alot of questions about my fibromyalgia and I have since found out she told the doctor my symptoms and got diagosed with ME. She then went to a group and asked a load more questions of people and got diagnosed with fibro To cut along story short she has now been awarded pip on her lies.
I know what I should do but will I be believe and will it be completely confidential.

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Comments

CockneyRebel

Hi stevenotts and welcome

You are in a dificult situation, but you can make an annonymous call which is confidential. As to being belived, the DWP do have to investigate any report, especially if you give as much detail as you can.

Are you sure that she was concocting a story and not just confirming her own symptoms ?

CR

stevenotts01

Definitely fake she has just finished digging her large back garden ripping out rubbish and taking it to the tip.building raised beds and digging foundations for her new art shed. She goes out on her boyfriends bike and goes conoeing she also goes drives to France at least 3 times a year. Sorry I could go on and on it dearly hacks me off.

CockneyRebel

Yes I can understand that. It does sound like she may be pulling a fast one but there are many members with hidden disabilities. It is of course your decision

CR

charlene

Not saying your relative is like my niece, who had a personality disorder and faked illnesses, but never claimed anything. If she is claiming falsely, then yes you are in a dilemma, I think I might inform DWP.

debbiedo49

If you inform them then its down to dwp to prove fraud.

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charlene

My niece started asking me about my illnesses, and shortly after she presented with some of my problems. Her son was diagnosed with epilepsy, and suddenly she was having fits. Obviously she was very ill, but not the illness she was feigning.

stevenotts01

Yes I have heard lots of people say that relatives or friends have questioned them and then presented themselves with there illness or disability it seems to be very common

butterflies

@stevenotts01

Hi steven

The fact that she has successfully claimed PIP on the basis of CFS/ME and Fibromyalgia and is now able to perform heavy tasks like building raised beds, heavy digging of foundations, heavy lifting and all the other stuff you have described, (and in my experience) all of these are way beyond the capabilities of someone diagnosed with these conditions.

She has either made a miraculous recovery in a short period of time(in which case she should be reporting her changes to the DWP herself) or is lying about her conditions.

In either case it is Benefit Fraud and she should be investigated by the DWP.

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butterflies

@stevenotts01

Yes it will be confidential as you do not have to give your name. Just give them as much detail as you have given here, that should be enough for the DWP to look into the case.

Nystagmite

Are you with your relative 24/7 to know what she's really like? I've been accused of faking my disabilities or been told I can't have something for some utterly ignorant reason. Those people aren't with me 24/7 to know what I'm really like.

wilko

Sorry, but sound as if she is faking it if all the above is true. I could only do all the garden duties when I was fit and well, now I am a MS sufferer I am reduced to mobility scooters from driving farm tractors and working all hours on the farm. We all know or heard of people falseying claims for PIP! ESA and Blue a Badges. So if you have a concern about a persons claim then report them and if they are genuine then they have nothing to fear except being done for fraud.

whistles

My first thoughts on the conditions were there are diagnostic tools?
You do not know that they haven't had symptoms and were confirming their own suspicions. To be frank they could have simply googled them.

'Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), commonly known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or ME/CFS, is a devastating multi-system disease that causes dysfunction of the neurological, immune, endocrine and energy metabolism systems' from the net.

That in itself tells me you would need to reprogramme yourself to fake all that. It can be tested.
It's probably fluctuating.

If I actually go out for the day, you can bet your life I will be in bed recovering the next and I don't have the above.
I would love to go to a group and chat to like minded people about their difficulties. It's a bit similar here. I'm not looking to fake a diagnosis, it been such a big relief to know others have memory issues and I'm not alone.

Maybe support them? Before you throw the book at them.

charlene

I suffer from fibromyalgia and on so called good days could not do any of the things stated, garden wise or riding on a bike for 2 mins let alone completing the tasks.

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whistles

We need to be cautious about passing a judgement on someone, just because we can't do something. It doesn't mean the next person also can't and that's how pip is supposed to work.

I don't sit out in the garden as I don't have one, so I travel to and sit in the park, would people assume if I can do that I can travel to work and sit at a desk? I hope not.

@Victoriad DLA encouraged everyone to go do and have hobbies. I did do. We are a longtime dead so I don't plan on starting yet!

Nystagmite

wilko said:

if they are genuine then they have nothing to fear except being done for fraud.

I was reported by a busy body years ago. I really do wish "it was nothing to worry about". Yes, I was innocent. But being dragged into the job centre and being asked questions and being to feel guilty was utterly horrible.

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sandyp196

I'm just amazed fake claimants succeed through the assesments. They need to tell genuine people with disabilities how they do it!
I know the way the govt has set up the assesent process that genuinely disabled people have no option but to be aware of thr game. A case in point is this pressure to show your illness on its worst day.
Just recently I had to do this but I wasnt feeling my illness at its worst. What it did however, was trigger a very bad phase for my illness. I can't mess with it like that. I'm very angry about it. i have been so unwell and only now I'm feeling a little better and it's all linked to the pip process and what they put me through. I know there are mental heakth condition where people fake illness and the mental health condition is an illness and may qualify for bemefits in its own right. That's up to the claimant and the dwp to sort out.
But it's very hard for genuine disabled people to see fake claimants getting benefits, especially if they've been turned down.
But if you have noticed her illness doesn't match how she lives, then be assured that others will notice too. I couodnt report a family member as the stress of it wouod make me unwell especially if I was privy to the investigation and fallout that will follow.
I would just look after yourself and keep your distance.