DEAR DEIDRE: My colleague is defrauding the benefits system and I am so angry.
I feel like reporting him to the authorities and walking out of my job.
It feels so wrong and unfair but nobody else seems to care.
I’m a 50-year-old woman working part-time for a pizza takeaway on top of my day job.
As a single mum with a teenager, I do all the hours God sends to make ends meet.
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I’ve never taken a single penny in benefits, even though I could.
Meanwhile, my colleague is registered disabled and gets the maximum amount in benefits.
He claims he has a back injury and cannot walk far unaided. I think it may have been true once, several years ago, when he had an accident.
But he has carried on claiming even now he is better.
He can certainly walk properly now. I’ve watched him. And he couldn’t do his job otherwise.
When I complained to my boss, he said it was not his problem, as long as my colleague is doing his job well.
Should I report him? I’m not a natural snitch but this situation is making me rage.
DEIDRE SAYS: Apart from being dishonest by cheating the benefits system, it means there is less money for those who really need it.
As a general rule we should all be aware that some people do have invisible disabilities or pain that can make working difficult.
But in this case, if you are sure he is cheating and believe reporting him is right – and would make you feel better – then do it.
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Go to the “report benefit fraud” page on the gov.uk site and fill out the form.
It is best nobody knows you have done this, so it does not make things awkward at work.