News Forum - British expats uncovered in Thailand as UK probes pension fraud

[Thaiger]

In a fresh twist for British expats soaking up the sun abroad, the cloak of UK banking secrecy is about to be lifted if there’s a whiff of state pension fraud. The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, currently being dissected in the House of Lords, is pegged to hit the legal books in early … …

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[AussieBob]

As if the pending income taxation changes are not bad enough, now the Brits in Thailand are going to be targeted for pension fraud by this new lunatic Labor Government in UK. 

Seems the Philippines is the best option for Brits - set up a residence there and get annual pension increases, and then just visit Thailand for 3 months at a time as a Tourist. Spend no more than 179 days in Thailand, and most of the rest in Philippines, and problem solved.  Maybe other countries nearby (Malaysia?) also have annual Pension increases and are not frozen??

Not a concern (yet?) for Aussies - hopefully not for a long time. 

[ChrisS]

Hmmm, looks like a lot of ex pats are about to get poorer.

[AussieBob]

10 hours ago, ChrisS said:

Hmmm, looks like a lot of ex pats are about to get poorer.

Could be an issue for some - probably cause some to set up sticks in a country where there is annual indexation (just in case).  

[Pinetree]

There are a lot of poorly evidenced ideas spouted, surrounding this issue.  The first is that the frozen pension situation in the UK, as far as I know, has never been legally  challenged, up to the Supreme Court,  as I suspect that the DWP would lose under the new discrimination laws. Second, is that the new rules are primarily aimed at those claiming State pension benefits, over and above the basic State Pension, that is indeed clear fraud.  One chap living near me here is claiming a housing allowance, pension credit top ups and disability allowance.  It's idiots like him they are primarily after. Lastly, unless you have PR here, you are not resident here, you are a visitor.  If you continue your UK house, electoral registration, pay UK tax and submit a annual tax return, claim no  State benefits from the UK social care system and don't directly own a house here, as a primary residence, the UK authorities would have a hard time challenging that in the High Court. I suspect that it's not in their interests to try.  Those that think that a clearly inefficient and  dysfunctional UK Civil Service is capable of delivering on this, to any great degree,  are deluded. They will catch a few benefit claimants, no doubt, but the bulk of pensioners, wandering about overseas, cruising the World with the Cruise Lines and having long visits with relatives in other countries, will, I suspect,  be left in peace.

Could be wrong about all of this of course ! 

[23RD]

They'd been better off investigating serious fraud like The Roma Pikey's claiming child benefits in Romania and Bulgaria or The Pakistani/Bangladeshis doing the same for non existent children in their home Countries. 

Or the bogus asylum seekers who came to the UK claimed asylum social housing and benefits then returned to their home Countries and sub let these Council properties the Grenfell Tower fire a,few years ago being a classic example as well as the Afghanistan withdrawal when asylum seekers who were meant to be under protection in the UK were actually back in Afghanistan. 

[Pinetree]

7 minutes ago, 23RD said:

They'd been better off investigating serious fraud like The Roma Pikey's claiming child benefits in Romania and Bulgaria or The Pakistani/Bangladeshis doing the same for non existent children in their home Countries. 

Or the bogus asylum seekers who came to the UK claimed asylum social housing and benefits then returned to their home Countries and sub let these Council properties the Grenfell Tower fire a,few years ago being a classic example as well as the Afghanistan withdrawal when asylum seekers who were meant to be under protection in the UK were actually back in Afghanistan. 

Tut tut, true, but that would be racist and the Communists and woke liberals in, so called, 'charge', don't believe in looking after their regular folk. only the foreign criminals and fraudsters who rip off the various idiot governments of the West. Frankly, I wish I was a US citizen and veteran under their new Administration. 

[Pinetree]

Mistake