The sad reality is that clamping down of the sort they've done (eg sanctions for missing a single jobseeker's meeting) seem far more likely to punish those unfa

The sad reality is that clamping down of the sort they've done (eg sanctions for missing a single jobseeker's meeting) seem far more likely to punish those unfamiliar with the system than those who have made a habit of abusing it. When you're a professional benefits abuser, you have time to learn the intricacies of the system you're gaming. My own personal anecdata: I recently relocated to the UK with my wife. An acquaintance of hers - who is also a fairly blatant benefits abuser - essentially told her that when she got to the UK she would explain all about how to game the system and that my wife would never need to work again. She obviously didn't realise that as a non-UK citizen here on settlement visa I am not entitled to benefits, and my wife can't claim benefits if I hope to renew my visa. Further, it didn't even occur to her that we wouldn't want to claim benefits unnecessarily even if we could.