What would you do?

I'd report them to the authorities, like a good citizen.

 

I'd report him. That money is meant for people who need it, not them. Not to mention that I pay taxes for it, so they're basically already stealing from me.

 

It depends. If the neighbor seems to be a generally friendly person, then I wouldn't be as likely to say anything. There might be some emergency situation that they need the money for, like a relative who is very sick. If the neighbor is an asshole, then I would call authorities.

It also depends on your definition of "well paid." If the person clearly has expensive things they don't need, like extra cars or a vacation home, then I think I would turn them in. If "well paid" means just enough to live relatively comfortably, out of poverty, I wouldn't be as likely to do anything.

Frankly, if I called authorities, I'd be terrified that the neighbor would suspect/figure out that it was me. I'm not sure that I would risk living near a criminal who wants revenge on me, especially for the greater good. Maybe the neighbor would try to frame me for a similar crime. Maybe the neighbor would do something worse to me.

 

no one really knows someones elses business 100% there could be a genuine reason for there wellfare. Its like the case of someone parking in a disabled parking spot and walking away from there car, just cause they can walk does the mean they are therefore cheating the system and are infact no disabled?....(No its doesnt)

But if i was to know 100% for fact then i would report them. I guess you could argue that if you didnt know and you did report them, its up to the authorites to investigate and if there is no wrong doing then all is fine. But i cant help but think its a little bit cheeky. I am a believer of minding my own business

 

I would report them. If they are employed full-time, they will be fine. Their illegal use of welfare is preventing that money from going to someone who actually needs it.

 

I guess it would really depend on how well I get along with them. If I didn't get along with them I would probably alert the authorities. If I did get along with them I probably wouldn't say anything bc I don't rat on my friends.

 

The mere idea of reporting a neighbour to the authorities is so Orwellian to me that I'd fear doing it for a sign of things to come. When people start turning on each other rather than the authorities responsible for inequality, then the authorities get exactly what they want.

Obviously the situation would be different if I suspected murder/domestic abuse/another violent situation that put someone in immediate danger.

 

I would want to make sure I knew everything about their circumstances before reporting them to authorities. You never know what extenuating circumstances there might be - maybe they have a child with a neuro-degenerative condition, or something similar, that drains all of their income.

If I was absolutely sure they didn't need it, yeah, I would report them.

 

I'd report.

Welfare must be distributed in situations of need if it's to be distributed at all. A person has no entitlement to protection from the same authority they swindle. A member of the public has no moral obligation to allow someone to unfairly take public resources which haven't been deemed due to them.

I would rather be harsh and legalistic than permit standards of public finance and accountability to drop. Welfare fraud is not a significant part of national debt but there will always be a limited pool of resources specifically allocated to cash handouts. It's absolutely unfair that someone who doesn't meet that higher standard of need should draw on a limited fund, nor is it good for institutional trust or a culture of honesty if we allow fraud to go ahead out of personal compassion.

 

I would report it to the authorities, but only depending on the situation. If it's obvious that they are making more than enough to survive and can afford luxury items like a higher end car or expensive clothing, then I'd report them in a heartbeat.

However, there's one thing people didn't mention in this thread: Kids.

This happens in America more often than not, but it's not that uncommon for people to have 2,3,4, etc. kids and are able to meet all their basic needs (housing, clothing, transportation) and have little to nothing left over for food. Even with multiple incomes.

This was the situation of the family my wife and I live with for many years before we all moved to Florida. They could meet their basic needs except for food, so they had to rely on food stamps. Even when we first moved down here, we still qualified for some aid with 3 incomes (they have 4 kids with a 5th due in October) and the family is still getting state aid for health insurance for their kids.

It's all dependent on the situation and kids make a HUGE difference in wether the aid is needed or not, regardless of if the neighbors look like they need welfare.

Tl;dr: I'd report welfare abuse if it was strikingly obvious the neighbor didn't need it. If kids were involved, no way unless it was, once again, strikingly obvious the family didn't need the assistance.

 

I would do nothing. I would think it was in no way my business. It's easy to look at someone like that and judge them, and they probably are in the wrong. That being said, you never know the whole story of what is going on in a person's life. I believe that sin is its own punishment. If your neighbor is doing wrong, then negative consequences will manifest in his or her life. He or she may face legal ramifications, lose his or her job, or simply feel a pang of guilt every time he or she lies down to go to sleep. No one gets away with anything. But that doesn't mean we have to help that process along. I would pray for my neighbor and hope that he or she could see the light and stop playing the system. If I had a close enough relationship with that neighbor to the point where that neighbor considered me a friend, then I might talk to that neighbor tactfully about that issue in a spirit of love.

 

I think it's a tough situation to be in. Generally if I don't fully know all the details, then I don't think that something like that is my business to get involved in. However, if I was 100% positive that my neighbor was involved in some sort of welfare fraud, I would do the right thing and report the neighbor. That money and assistance should go to those who really need it.

 

do nothing because it's not my business. I really don't care what other people do.

 

I would just tell another neighbor. Because whether they actually needed the extra cash or not, there's no way I could handle the responsibility of reporting/confronting them.

 

I don't believe people should do it but I wouldn't report it because I'll be too scared

 

Report them. Welfare abuse should never be tolerated.

 

I wouldn't care, honestly.