Lori has been a little naughty

Also noticed that the banner at the bottom of this page is

http://www.loribuckby.com

tag line "catch me if you can"

irony or what?

indeed we dont bert but except for the logic of the few, this is pretty easy for most normal people to agree on.

The story has made the foreign news. Found this with google, looks like Dutch.

It's cases like this that make my blood boil, along with the sensationalist way they are reported. As a carer for my wife, who is disabled, I avoided claiming benefits for years, piling up debts, going through multiple insolvency hearings, using up all of our meagre savings, losing the house we were in the process of buying and generally going through years of hell, and why? Because every time a case like this comes up, those who are in genuine need are tarred with the same brush as those who defraud the system and neither one of us wanted to be perceived in that way, despite the validity of our claim.

Thanks to the actions of people like those involved in Lori's case (was it her? Her wicked stepmother? The fraudulent claims goblin? I don't care, TBH), and the sensationalist tabloid reporting surrounding such cases, after we finally buckled and were forced by circumstances to claim benefits a few months ago, people now treat us with resentment and suspicion. As if my wife and I are some kind of benefit fraudsters and it's just a matter of time before we're caught out. Even worse, are those who act as if my wife and I are scroungers and chancers, milking a system set up to allow for a life of ease for the lazy and indolent. I can tell you from bitter experience that this is not the case. The information asked for during a claim process is exhaustive and the monies paid are nowhere near enough to live a life of luxury, whatever papers like The Sun, The Mail and The Express would have you believe. To claim money fraudulently, you must deliberately and with forethought set out to do so. Yet another high profile case of benefit fraud only makes it harder for genuine people to be taken seriously and gives more ammunition to those who wish to make the social safety net for those in need even smaller and harder to land in should things go wrong for them.

So what makes me angry about this story? Everything. The greedy actions of whoever the hell filled in the form, the greed or gross stupidity of Lori if she in fact was in error and never bothered to query why she was being paid monies from the DWP every two weeks, the shrieking denouncements of the reportage from The Sun, everything about this story makes things just that little bit harder for those who are genuine with their claims. Harder because the DWP become more suspicious with each passing fraud, and because the general public get more resentful of those who are on benefits for genuine reasons with each successive high profile case of benefit theft. It's exactly this sort of case that gives everyone in genuine need a bad name.

Blimey! At this rate she could sell her story to the News of the World, pay back the fine (with interest), and still be quids in.

(02-09-2010 17:39 )Mister Gummidge Wrote:  we finally buckled and were forced by circumstances to claim benefits a few months ago

You obviously didn't work hard enough - maybe if you'd paid more tax you'd be more deserving


*I'm assuming you get the sarcasm of my post and realise it is not a dig against you in any way mr g

As per usual Mr G sums it all up in one excellent, intelligent post.

(02-09-2010 16:56 )Ally4Paige Wrote:  Finally if it was a close member of your family I bet you would defend them to the hilt and try your damnedest to keep them out of prison!!

I can assure you that if it were a member of my Family on the fiddle i'd be the one who dropped them in it.

I have no objection to paying utterly ridiculous amounts of tax to fund Care & benefits for the elderly or disabled. However, i detest the fact that a portion of my hard-earned goes to the workshy and the sort of people who think they're entitled to a bit more whilst earning bloody good money by most people's standards.

If i had my way anyone caught fiddling benefits would be doing an automatic 5 year sentence.

I sincerely hope that anyone who has called this person during her time on the Channels never does so again.

(02-09-2010 16:56 )Ally4Paige Wrote:  Finally if it was a close member of your family I bet you would defend them to the hilt and try your damnedest to keep them out of prison!!

Lori is not a member of your family (unless you've been keeping secrets ) - so I fail to see the relevance of that point

Also, I have shopped in family members in the past for benefit fraud, so I speak from a position of consistency. I was also totally honest and open with my family when I did so, stating that it was their own fault for trying to defraud the system. A previous job of mine dealt with these issues, so it was also my responsibility to deal with such matters, regardless of who they were.

The law is the law - whether family member, television babe or regular joe

As Mr G says - situations like this simply make it more difficult for those genuinely in need. At worst Lori and her family are guilty of benefit fraud. At the very least, she is guilty of gross incompetence and an inability of managing her own affairs and bank account (where the money would have been paid into). No amount of 'loyalty' or 'bias against' changes this

(02-09-2010 18:14 )Sooky™ Wrote:  Lori is not a member of your family (unless you've been keeping secrets ) - so I fail to see the relevance of that point

Also, I have shopped in family members in the past for benefit fraud, so I speak from a position of consistency. I was also totally honest and open with my family when I did so, stating that it was their own fault for trying to defraud the system. A previous job of mine dealt with these issues, so it was also my responsibility to deal with such matters, regardless of who they were.

The law is the law - whether family member, television babe or regular joe

...and the fact you are EVIL