UK Pensioners in Thailand Face New Scrutiny Over Pension Fraud

[transam]

4 minutes ago, Surasak said:

Yes, a stay in hospital could affect the allowance. To my knowledge the payments are reduced after a two week stay, and the reduce per week. Not sure of the lowest amount they will continue payments.

Now just imagine someone claiming full pension abroad for many years, the amount of money we are talking about, then possibly adding heating allowance....😵

[Baht Simpson]

1 hour ago, sambum said:

 

Couldn't agree more!

Yes, we could arrive in dinghies. 🙂 

[roo860]

The two instances that the topic gives of pensioners getting caught, personally I reckon are bull<deleted>, totally made up to give it some sort of credibility. There was another topic same as this last year, a scaremongering poster who is very vocal on here, said someone he knew was investigated, but it wasn't for the pension, like he said, it was a disability claim. 

[BritScot]

7 hours ago, Baht Simpson said:

Like any decent human being I applaud the detection of fraud. However that doesn't detract from the fact that freezing pensions based solely on geography is monstrous.

 

I'm also not happy with them acquiring information from banks without my knowledge. 

 

This may lead to banks who allow expats to run an account in the U.K. to stop as it's not worth the extra admin. and they will close accounts arbitrarily. 

It's already happening. Banks in the uk will close your account if not resident in the UK. And, as Farage and many others with the wrong politics also have their Bank accounts closed all the while the people of Britain own controlling shares of a major bank! Banks = legal criminals. If you or I did what banks do we would be locked up for fraud! Imagine for every £ in your wallet you could magic 10 more. 

[Tiger1980]

2 hours ago, transam said:

UK pension is classed as a benefit, so it has strings attached, one of them is notifying of change of address, you MUST report it to them. If you don't, and they find out.........

 

Did you know that if you live in the UK you are meant to tell them if you are in hospital there, I assume it may/could affect the allowance..........

it’s only been classified as a benefit for a few years, since the government craftily changed the wording, forgetting to mention that the state pension is payed for out of the N.I.  Contributions 

[itsari]

If a UK pensioner is spinning a yarn where he or she is living to receive more money from the UK government from his state pension while living in Thailand is not helping the cause of pensionists that tell the truth and suffering from it.

I have seen a few fraudsters on this site bragging of their success .

Shame on them

[transam]

2 minutes ago, itsari said:

If a UK pensioner is spinning a yarn where he or she is living to receive more money from the UK government from his state pension while living in Thailand is not helping the cause of pensionists that tell the truth and suffering from it.

I have seen a few fraudsters on this site bragging of their success .

Shame on them

It's even more silly, bragging about it on here...🥴

[twizzian]

I seriously thought about applying for my UK State pension using my UK address, but it’s quite tricky as they say they will make a phone call & send letters to verify the applicant. I also had to wait 16 weeks for the Tossers to make first payment.

They will probably know from your passport usage as to where you currently are

[CharlieKo]

26 minutes ago, kwilco said:

What a facile and ignorant comment

it begins with B has locks at the end. Get my drift?

[Gaccha]

5 hours ago, billzant said:

now no bill going through parliament - since 22 April 2024..

 

 

It still seems to be active. Going through the standing committee stage of the House of Lords. Very close to becoming an Act.

 

[itsari]

2 minutes ago, transam said:

It's even more silly, bragging about it on here...🥴

100 percent sure there

[Tiger1980]

2 hours ago, connda said:

Pensioners living aboard are less of an economic burden on the UK than those living in the UK who need additional assistance to simply heat their homes and pay the rent. 

 

Very true, my state pension has increased by nearly £400 per month since I returned to live in the U.K. But this figure is dwarfed by the amount of £ 15,000+ per year   that the CHANCELLOR is now having to support myself and family since we returned.

 

[James9999]

1 hour ago, Tokyo Dodge said:

The UK government would prefer all workers to die the day they retire so they don't need to pay any pensions period!

And grab 40% inheritance tax.

[itsari]

9 minutes ago, twizzian said:

I seriously thought about applying for my UK State pension using my UK address, but it’s quite tricky as they say they will make a phone call & send letters to verify the applicant. I also had to wait 16 weeks for the Tossers to make first payment.

They will probably know from your passport usage as to where you currently are

If there is suspicion that you are committing fraud your bank accounts will be viewed to work out where you are living . 

[proton]

3 minutes ago, itsari said:

If there is suspicion that you are committing fraud your bank accounts will be viewed to work out where you are living . 

 

How can a bank account tell them where you are living?

[Tiger1980]

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Neither Labour, nor the Tories, have ever said that they would reinstate the increases so they have never quietly dropped it.  When were the Lib Dems ever in power?

 
STEVE WEBB was a liberal M.P who advocated that all state pensions should be unfrozen, however when he became a member of the coalition government he amazingly changed his mind. A typical politician.

[itsari]

1 minute ago, proton said:

 

How can a bank account tell them where you are living?

Where your money is being sent to . 

Not so difficult to work that out

[transam]

1 minute ago, proton said:

 

How can a bank account tell them where you are living?

It will tell them where funds are going, if you are paying pension sized amount to your chum which are forward on to Thailand, the dots may/will add up, plus 'may' implicate your chum..............

[spambot]

4 hours ago, lineofentry said:

How do they define 'resident'? I like to do 6 months/ 6 months.

I now do the same 6m/6m after previously living in Thailand continuously since 2011. I hence looked into the same question for myself. I reached the following conclusions.  

1. No Fixed Rule: There's no absolute rule that staying in the UK for 6 months guarantees you have proven that you are maintaining a UK habitual residence. It's a guideline, not a legal threshold (unlike Statutory Residence Test, but this is a completely different consideration). Each case is assessed on its own merits, considering various factors beyond just the length of stays.
2. Keep UK Ties Strong: In order to demonstrate strong UK ties maintain a UK address, bank accounts, and show regular communication with UK institutions and if possible demonstrate existing family ties. This is only required if there was an investigation, but this is unlikely to happen when you are in the UK for 6 months.
3. Pattern of Stays: Regular patterns of long stays could influence any DWP's assessment, however any trips back to the UK, even short trips demonstrates ongoing ties to the UK. The longer the stay the stronger the tie to the UK.

Even on the very small chance you are investigated and lose the case there is a procedure to demonstrate how you can become a UK resident again by doing normal thing like showing where you are living and proving you are paying bills for the stuff that you consume in the UK (for things like utilities and groceries over a two or three months period). Hence theoretically there could be a small period when indexing was lost however its quickly retrieved and you should have no problem in doing this.

[BangkokReady]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

For example, a British pensioner based in Thailand was discovered last year after a neighbour returned a DWP letter with the note, “Lucky Sod Lives in Pattaya.”

 

A neighbour of who???

[Nick Carter icp]

4 minutes ago, proton said:

 

How can a bank account tell them where you are living?

 

   By the money withdrawal record 

[James9999]

1 hour ago, sambum said:

 

Various prospective MP's have stated pre election that they "will certainly look into it", but after the election - "swept under the carpet" - again! 

 

Extract from Labour Manifesto 2019 - Page 76:-

 

"Pensions People work hard for most of their lives and deserve a decent retirement free of f inancial stress and insecurity. ..............

 

"We will maintain the ‘triple lock’ and guarantee the Winter Fuel Payment, free TV licences and free bus passes  as universal benefits. ........

 

" We will ensure that the pensions of UK citizens living overseas rise in line with pensions in Britain."

 

OH, YEAH?

 

 

 

Just wait until they means test the state pension. Have a half decent private pension then they will stop the state pension completely. And now when you die your private pension is considered for inheritance tax.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, transam said:

But they do know where they send your pension too, have you filled out a winter payment allowance form yet, did they send one to your UK address....?

Winter payments finished with Labour.

Previously the Cons sent it out with no forms required.

 

Did you think there was a form sent out?

Because the answer was always no.

[itsari]

6 minutes ago, James9999 said:

Just wait until they means test the state pension. Have a half decent private pension then they will stop the state pension completely. And now when you die your private pension is considered for inheritance tax.

Ned Kelly government of Australia has fixed that years ago.

 

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, Celsius said:

 

Well, I just called you out to check if I was on ignore.

I don't have anyone on ignore.

[BritManToo]

2 hours ago, VBF said:

What happens if / when you apply for a new passport in Bangkok?

UK Gov databases are getting linked more and more.

Last time I flew back to the UK and did it in person.

2 hours from application to collection.

[sambum]

35 minutes ago, roo860 said:

The two instances that the topic gives of pensioners getting caught, personally I reckon are bull<deleted>, totally made up to give it some sort of credibility. There was another topic same as this last year, a scaremongering poster who is very vocal on here, said someone he knew was investigated, but it wasn't for the pension, like he said, it was a disability claim. 

 

I personally know of a couple who were living in Thailand, but had to return to the UK for a tribunal because they didn't declare where they were living, and were expecting to have to repay about £5000 of overpayments between them. However, once the boss of the tribunal found out that the husband had "served his country" in the RAF, he told them that they would not be getting any more increments, but would not have to repay the "overpayments". They have since returned to the UK, but that is the only instance that I have heard of in 20 years here, and I know a few people who have been "bucking the system" for years.

[sambum]

16 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

 

A neighbour of who???

Maybe the neighbour who was letting him use his address?

[transam]

6 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Winter payments finished with Labour.

Previously the Cons sent it out with no forms required.

 

Did you think there was a form sent out?

Because the answer was always no.

My chum who lives here but doesn't, has lost his winter payment, it seems you have to fill in a form to try and keep it, now I reckon you will not go anywhere near a form, eh.....😋

[BruceWayne]

1 hour ago, Baht Simpson said:

You misunderstand me. I never said they said they would reinstate increases.  I said that the now Chancellor Angela Rayner supported uprating pensions before but has not mentioned it since being in government. It's the issue that's been dropped not any proposed legislation.

 

 

 

Raynor isn't the chancellor but her pre election promises are worth about as much as the guy who  promised "Don't worry I won't <deleted> in you"  when he got her preggers as a teenager 👍

 

What is it with boomers assuming that everything hell anything politicians say is true?

You guys are far too old to keep falling for the same BS