Reporting someone for Social Security Fraud that is close to you?

If you knew someone that is close to you and they are married and collecting money from Social Security from their previous deceased spouse, would you report them?
Would you have any regrets on reporting them?
and How would you live with yourself if they got in trouble?

Someone I know is considering reporting their Mother. No Joke!

This person says that her mother is a very money hungry person. She takes money from everyone and never pays it back. She knows what she is doing by getting money from SS.
She wants to report her because what she is doing is not right.

How remarriage affects survivors benefits

In general, you cannot receive survivors benefits if you remarry before the age of 60 unless the latter marriage ends, whether by death, divorce, or annulment. If you remarry after age 60 (50 if disabled), you can still collect benefits on your former spouse's record. When you reach age 62 or older, you may get retirement benefits on the record of your new spouse if they are higher.
Your remarriage would have no effect on the benefits being paid to your children.

ok, before you get into the whole issue of reporting someone, you'd need to be very sure about all the particulars. is the person who is allegedly commiting fraud over 60? or over 50 and disabled? are they getting the widows benefits OR are they receiving benefits for the children? unless you know for certain, you're likely to do nothing constructive, and btw, the social security admistration is pretty sharp, and catch cases of fraud, both intentional and accidental pertty quickly. i'm not saying that fraud isn't occurring, i'm only mentioning that it's not quite as cut and dried as you seem to think it might be.

now, on to the hypothetical part of the question, about regrets. if someone were truly cheating, and had been warned and continued to do it, then i would let them know that they were going to be reported. if after all that, they continued, and were found out, i'd be able to live with myself just fine. is this person angry with their mom, and looking for a means of revenge? it doesn't sound like it's a true moral dilemma, more that someone wants to hurt someone else and is looking for some validation in it.

People need to mind their own business! And for a child to do this to their mother is ridiculous, after all she has done for that child, this is how they thank her....stupid...tell the ungrateful snitch to join the neighborhood watch.

And people wonder why Social Security is such a mess...

They should be reported, mother, daughter, brother, whatever. It doesn't matter. What they are doing is illegal and fraud.

But first I would make sure that the person knew what they were doing was wrong. Out of ignorance they might think it is OK. However, once they know and continue to break the law, I would have no problem reporting them.

She may be receiving a death benefit which the spouse paid for.
Best check it out, before someone starts trouble they might regret.

I thought that was legal. I mean her late husband is deceased, which has nothing to do with her present husband. I don't know for sure, call ss office and ask them, I thought that was legal.

First of all someone needs to seek legal advice. There may be more involved than this person knows. Are they collecting SS for an underaged child that belonged to the deceased spouse? Hpw old is the person collecting SS? It is possible that SS figured how much she wolud get from the current husband or her deceased one. There are all sorts of factors involved so I would call a lawyer and get some advice first.

i blame it on social security administration because marriage certificates enter into a database and automatically alert the adminstraton that the person is married and the benefits discontinued.

i know a couple not wanting to get married because of this clause, her $1000 a month is coming in handy for her and fiancee to splurge on the dead man's soul, when she should use it towards her poor child.

At the very least, she owes her mother a warning. A simple email or a note under the door saying "Tell Social Security you've remarried, or I'll report you!" This would stop the fraud. If she reports her mom, it's not out of a conviction that "right is right" or a desire to save the taxpayers' money.

One thing for sure, if this woman is a friend you should drop her.