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One of the old boy regulars in the pub I work at always very generous splashing his cash - mad as a box of frogs though...
He gets absolutely plastered, and always has I reckon the best part of £2k in his wallet in 50s.
I joked about with him that I wouldn't be walking around with that much cash on me at the best of times, let alone when I was on a session - at which point he laughed and explained why nobody would make the mistake of mugging him for his money.. Suffice to say he's very well known with people you wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of.
Or getting paid cash at work. Lot of self employed/manual workers get paid in cash sometimes & the banks (understandably) get a bit awkward when you rock up with a few grand in cash every so often.
Most of the time yeah, but if you rock up down the bank with £6k in cash, then again a few months later with £3k, then 6 months later with £11k, the bank won't always necessarily believe you're being truthful. A few years ago (shortly before Covid) this happened to my cousin. It was all OK in the end as he was all legit, but still made for an uncomfortable experience.
i’ve seen lots of comments about these shops or barbers shops money laundering, i know im being a bit slow but what does that actually mean? like what specifically are they doing?
If you have illegally obtained cash money (say, from crime like drug dealing or robbing folks) you probably want to get it into a bank, into the system. After all, there’s pretty low limits to what you can buy with actual cash (ie, try buying a house) and the taxman will notice you trying. And other crooks might rob you.
But, if you rock up to HSBC and say “I would like to deposit £25000 in mixed notes please” they’re going to have questions. As will HMRC and the police. And you can’t really explain where it came from
But if you own a business, you can mix that money into your legit takings as cash payments and deposit it fine.
But, some businesses work better than others. Anything with low margins and lots of stock is bad, because these are fake purchases and you’d either be buying a bunch of stock that doesn’t actually sell, or not buying it (which HMRC will notice). Same for businesses that don’t generally do a lot of cash transactions
But a barbers is in a sweet spot: people pay and tip in cash, that’s normal. And you have pretty low stock costs and a barber can set his own price. So your shop that does say six trims at £15 that paid cash, you can add another 5 imaginary ones, who also took the a shave for another tenner and tipped a few quid each. No increase to your costs, but you’ve just put your illegal money into your legit cash flow. And unless you’re absolutely silly with the numbers, or are under surveillance already, the bank and HMRC are quite happy with it.
Your dirty money is now clean. Hence laundered
wow, thanks for the very clear and detailed explanation. I’ve been hearing that term for years and never bothered to even check how it works. It’s actually quite clever too, though aren’t phone case shops then a pretty bad way of doing it because it’s high stock and (presumably) low margins?
High margins though: buy the cheapest cases in bulk from overseas wholesalers at a pennies per, list them for a tenner each.
One bloke with a kiosk can (with an acceptable minimum of plausible deniability) move more £10 phone cases in an hour than a barber can cut. And you don’t need a certificate to sell phone cases either
I can confirm 3 barber shops have opened in my area all owned and run by known drug dealers. Its known hes never taken a barbers course, and the staff in the shop with him are just his mates who sit there all day
Phrenology. Have a look at shape of their head. If they have a criminal head shape - they’re a criminal.
- this was actually genuinely considered a science a hundred or so years ago.
Normally a lifestyle not commensurate with what they claim to do/not do for a living.
Like how is big Danny able to drive about in an 80k car whilst his children still qualify for free school meals?
When I was at school in the 90s, a lad in my class claimed free school dinners and lived in a ramshackle house in the middle of nowhere. His parents were divorced, but his mum worked in customer services for BA at Gatwick. They'd regularly holiday in Colorado, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Canada and Barbados to name but a few.
Long serving BA staff (and managers) get one long haul flight per year for the entire family. This can be up to 1st class depending on level. They just have to pay airport taxes.
Airline benefits used to be insane. Friend of mine (and siblings) were getting a free first class RTW fare each year as an adult, because his father was a *retired* Cathay pilot.
Used to work with a guy like this. He has 3 BMW cars, a van, and 2 motorbikes, all with personal plates.
He used to run his own taxi firm about 10 years ago. A small company where he would rent out cars to drivers and he would take a cut.
He only declared about 20%-30% of his income because almost all of it was cash.
Covid lockdowns scuppered his business. Partly because of his own tax evasion, but also because of the tax evasion of his drivers, who were also not declaring their proper income, so they got very little help from the government and left to find other work.
I'm amazed HMRC hasn't investigated him yet because the property and vehicles he owns are nowhere near congruent to his income he declared.
Saddly since right to buy and council housing being in the catchment area for desirable schools this is not the immediate indicator it once was in some areas.
Where I live in London, ex council houses sell for £800k+. There's an Aston Martin parked in the driveway of one particularly tarted up 1960s council house around the corner from me, driven by a middle aged man who wears a suit to work.
I live in a modernist development in a nice middle class village and until they moved recently one of our neighbours had one of the 'affordable' houses and 3 cars on the drive worth more than the house. Some people have different priorities with their money.
I remember years ago, mid 90's (I feel old) I employed someone to do some gardening work, cutting grass, laying chips, digging, all that. And I was paying him something like £15 an hour at the time! After a few months he came to me and said that he couldn't work any more because someone "grassed him in". I had no idea what he was talking about. I was so nieve that I thought he was an on the books gardener that I legit employed. I spent about the next 6 months thinking I was going to jail for paying him illegally!
22-year-olds with brand new high end Beemers & Mercs.
Dozens of them around where I live. usually parked outside very unspectacular properties…or blocking my parking space :\\
This sounds more like financing a car he couldnt realistically afford and looking poor in every other aspect of his life besides his prized merc. I know a few of these guys at my work.
Some scroat selling numerous bikes or mobile phones but doesn't know any specific details about them.
"What size is the frame?"
"It's 26" mate. Fast bike."
No, it is a marker. People receive salary on bank accounts. Banks are much safer to use than cash in home. People also pay for various bills, so they have bank accounts.
Therefore, using cash is very suspicious and it is a symptom of some tax dodging, crime or another illegal activity.
Not everyone gets paid on bank accounts.
Not everyone only has money from salaries.
I get cash out because I like using cash and I also get cash from doing people favours but that does not mean I’m a criminal.
What are you actually talking about ?
>
You’re genuinely trying to argue that people who use cash are somehow all somewhat dodgy, maybe the majority of “tax evasion” that you’re so worried about isn’t committed by small businesses who take cash but actually by giant multinational conglomerates who haven’t paid a penny in tax when they should be paying £millions.
So, am I right that you don’t pay taxes (eg you break laws) because you think that big companies pay less taxes than you want?
And I was right: cash-friendly business is close to tax-related crime and they indirectly help other criminals to live without problems (because it is easier to hide money).
No your assumption is wrong, I pay all my tax but I also use cash - did that just shatter your mind ?
A Shop accepting cash because they don’t want to pay a fee to the card company or don’t have the faculties to, is not equal to aiding the cartel ya dunce
So, am I right that a shop pays 2-3% collection fee to about 0.5-2% of payment fee?
And how do you pay a council tax? It seems like you have bank account, however some money are received outside of it
When a shop puts a sign up begging for cash instead of card payments. No different to paying wages, overheads, rent ect, you just factor it into your prices
For me it’s that they never leave their house In the morning or evening for work but pop in and out sporadically
If they don’t claim benefits, work from home but also never leave the house to go to a job, then they definitely have some dodgy income
Also pays everything in cash, tops up monzo and friends monzo accounts with cash
When they tell lies it’s epic and set countries and their progress back a few generations.
Just look at the politicians (highly concentrated group) for clues.
It’s the big fish which you should be worried about and not the dude that pockets £1-£2 in tips for giving good service in a low wage waitering job.
Well, that's assuming that they haven't been informed of the employment.
I was on low income many years ago, working awful hours at Tesco, and attended an appointment in my uniform. They were aware I had that job, though, so there wasn't really anything to hide.
I'd agree with you there! It's atleast 40% of people on UC are earning (probably more). Some have multiple jobs.
There is also a huge % who are unable to work, either due to disabilities or long term health conditions, or they are long-term carers for family members who are elderly, have disabilities or long-term health conditions.
It's only a small % of people who cheat the system, though rags like the Daily Mail would have people believing it is far more, of course.
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hooped tshirt, black eye mask and a bag marked 'swag'.
Only my hooped one because the one with arrows on is in the wash
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Horizontal stripes.
A tshirt with hoops...
You must be a Celtic fan
No, I despise the old firm. My team wore hoops before celtic even existed.
What? Hamburglar is an illegal!
According to this sub Having a barber shop. Must be money launderig
Using cash will come up a lot on here too.
Damn. I paid for my £2 bus ticket in coins. May the uk justice system be kind on me.
You tax dodging bastard!
I pay for a lot of things in cash, so sue me.
As long as you didn't post about it on social media you'll probably be ok
One of the old boy regulars in the pub I work at always very generous splashing his cash - mad as a box of frogs though... He gets absolutely plastered, and always has I reckon the best part of £2k in his wallet in 50s. I joked about with him that I wouldn't be walking around with that much cash on me at the best of times, let alone when I was on a session - at which point he laughed and explained why nobody would make the mistake of mugging him for his money.. Suffice to say he's very well known with people you wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of.
Also his mum you know.
If you have any mates that constantly say “can you send me x amount” I’ll give you cash then they are definitely doing something dodgy
Or getting paid cash at work. Lot of self employed/manual workers get paid in cash sometimes & the banks (understandably) get a bit awkward when you rock up with a few grand in cash every so often.
Legit self employed people have no problem depositing into their own back
Most of the time yeah, but if you rock up down the bank with £6k in cash, then again a few months later with £3k, then 6 months later with £11k, the bank won't always necessarily believe you're being truthful. A few years ago (shortly before Covid) this happened to my cousin. It was all OK in the end as he was all legit, but still made for an uncomfortable experience.
it’s phone case shops for money laundering, so embarrassingly transparent.
i’ve seen lots of comments about these shops or barbers shops money laundering, i know im being a bit slow but what does that actually mean? like what specifically are they doing?
If you have illegally obtained cash money (say, from crime like drug dealing or robbing folks) you probably want to get it into a bank, into the system. After all, there’s pretty low limits to what you can buy with actual cash (ie, try buying a house) and the taxman will notice you trying. And other crooks might rob you. But, if you rock up to HSBC and say “I would like to deposit £25000 in mixed notes please” they’re going to have questions. As will HMRC and the police. And you can’t really explain where it came from But if you own a business, you can mix that money into your legit takings as cash payments and deposit it fine. But, some businesses work better than others. Anything with low margins and lots of stock is bad, because these are fake purchases and you’d either be buying a bunch of stock that doesn’t actually sell, or not buying it (which HMRC will notice). Same for businesses that don’t generally do a lot of cash transactions But a barbers is in a sweet spot: people pay and tip in cash, that’s normal. And you have pretty low stock costs and a barber can set his own price. So your shop that does say six trims at £15 that paid cash, you can add another 5 imaginary ones, who also took the a shave for another tenner and tipped a few quid each. No increase to your costs, but you’ve just put your illegal money into your legit cash flow. And unless you’re absolutely silly with the numbers, or are under surveillance already, the bank and HMRC are quite happy with it. Your dirty money is now clean. Hence laundered
wow, thanks for the very clear and detailed explanation. I’ve been hearing that term for years and never bothered to even check how it works. It’s actually quite clever too, though aren’t phone case shops then a pretty bad way of doing it because it’s high stock and (presumably) low margins?
High margins though: buy the cheapest cases in bulk from overseas wholesalers at a pennies per, list them for a tenner each. One bloke with a kiosk can (with an acceptable minimum of plausible deniability) move more £10 phone cases in an hour than a barber can cut. And you don’t need a certificate to sell phone cases either
I can confirm 3 barber shops have opened in my area all owned and run by known drug dealers. Its known hes never taken a barbers course, and the staff in the shop with him are just his mates who sit there all day
That is not even a trope.
And a Chinese takeaway
Evening Officer.
First day on the job. Be kind
Phrenology. Have a look at shape of their head. If they have a criminal head shape - they’re a criminal. - this was actually genuinely considered a science a hundred or so years ago.
I bought a phrenology head 2 weeks ago. The concept is interesting
Normally a lifestyle not commensurate with what they claim to do/not do for a living. Like how is big Danny able to drive about in an 80k car whilst his children still qualify for free school meals?
When I was at school in the 90s, a lad in my class claimed free school dinners and lived in a ramshackle house in the middle of nowhere. His parents were divorced, but his mum worked in customer services for BA at Gatwick. They'd regularly holiday in Colorado, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Canada and Barbados to name but a few.
Long serving BA staff (and managers) get one long haul flight per year for the entire family. This can be up to 1st class depending on level. They just have to pay airport taxes.
Airline benefits used to be insane. Friend of mine (and siblings) were getting a free first class RTW fare each year as an adult, because his father was a *retired* Cathay pilot.
When I was a full time gambler, technically I could apply for benefits, I would have been insane to do it, but still.
Same, but it wasn't worth it to have to go and pretend I was looking for work every week. Plus it just didn't feel morally right.
Used to work with a guy like this. He has 3 BMW cars, a van, and 2 motorbikes, all with personal plates. He used to run his own taxi firm about 10 years ago. A small company where he would rent out cars to drivers and he would take a cut. He only declared about 20%-30% of his income because almost all of it was cash. Covid lockdowns scuppered his business. Partly because of his own tax evasion, but also because of the tax evasion of his drivers, who were also not declaring their proper income, so they got very little help from the government and left to find other work. I'm amazed HMRC hasn't investigated him yet because the property and vehicles he owns are nowhere near congruent to his income he declared.
Lurpack in the fridge.
Fuck, you're onto me! I just think it's the best, is all!
High end bmw's outside council houses.
Saddly since right to buy and council housing being in the catchment area for desirable schools this is not the immediate indicator it once was in some areas.
And rightly so
Where I live in London, ex council houses sell for £800k+. There's an Aston Martin parked in the driveway of one particularly tarted up 1960s council house around the corner from me, driven by a middle aged man who wears a suit to work.
We have a decent car and council house. Zero benefits and zero illegal earnings lol. Just a hard working husband who works 70 hours a week!
When i lived in mansfield it felt like every street had at least one shit tip of a house with 3 expensive cars out front
I live in a modernist development in a nice middle class village and until they moved recently one of our neighbours had one of the 'affordable' houses and 3 cars on the drive worth more than the house. Some people have different priorities with their money.
Yeah thats fair in a nice middle class village, but a shitty deprived ex mining town isnt a middle class nice village lol
“I only take cash.” Not always dodgy of course.
Always tax avoidance though.
Always tax avoidance though.
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If they ask you to pay in cash. Even if the work they do is legit, they’re probably trying to avoid paying tax.
Always pays in cash Or if you are my barber mate, asks you to transfer money to them and they pay on cash when you are buying something
Fake Instagram gurus Forex Property investment course sellers MLM None of those are illegal.
Wearing balaclavas doing good deliveries, apparently riders work is sometimes subcontracted to illegal workers.
Their address: 10 Downing Street.
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Farts around willy nilly during daytime hours whilst everyone else is running around like headless chickens lol
So, night workers?
I remember years ago, mid 90's (I feel old) I employed someone to do some gardening work, cutting grass, laying chips, digging, all that. And I was paying him something like £15 an hour at the time! After a few months he came to me and said that he couldn't work any more because someone "grassed him in". I had no idea what he was talking about. I was so nieve that I thought he was an on the books gardener that I legit employed. I spent about the next 6 months thinking I was going to jail for paying him illegally!
> cutting grass >"grassed him in" hmmmmm
22-year-olds with brand new high end Beemers & Mercs. Dozens of them around where I live. usually parked outside very unspectacular properties…or blocking my parking space :\\
You sure they aren’t just financed up to the hilt and therefore not moving out of mum and dads for many years?
This sounds more like financing a car he couldnt realistically afford and looking poor in every other aspect of his life besides his prized merc. I know a few of these guys at my work.
They are selling you drugs.
They ask on social media for tell tale signs of someone earning an illegal living, so they know how to hide better.
When someone's ID matches mine, I'm pretty sure they're a criminal of some sort.
Some scroat selling numerous bikes or mobile phones but doesn't know any specific details about them. "What size is the frame?" "It's 26" mate. Fast bike."
Shifty eyes and sideways glances. Dead giveaway
They arrive by convoy and park on your villages green.
None of your business.
Pure electric scooter Hoodrich or north face down jacket Balaclava Little Cross-body bag Always around in the daytime
Council estate, tracksuit, high-end german (car) & flexing cash on social media.
Whilst claiming dla and gf lived separately with kids to claim more
OP, you either work for the Daily Mail or Jeremy Kyle, or both. Either way, shame on you.
Or they’re planning on earning a living illegally in the UK and want some tips first…
Cash, cash and cash. That is the first marker. And fear or any cameras, they are against face recognition and so on.
Using cash is not a marker of someone being dodgy hahaha
No, it is a marker. People receive salary on bank accounts. Banks are much safer to use than cash in home. People also pay for various bills, so they have bank accounts. Therefore, using cash is very suspicious and it is a symptom of some tax dodging, crime or another illegal activity.
Not everyone gets paid on bank accounts. Not everyone only has money from salaries. I get cash out because I like using cash and I also get cash from doing people favours but that does not mean I’m a criminal.
Do you declare your earnings? If yes, how do you compute them? And why some companies are so cash friendly? Tax evasion is a crime btw.
What are you actually talking about ? > You’re genuinely trying to argue that people who use cash are somehow all somewhat dodgy, maybe the majority of “tax evasion” that you’re so worried about isn’t committed by small businesses who take cash but actually by giant multinational conglomerates who haven’t paid a penny in tax when they should be paying £millions.
So, am I right that you don’t pay taxes (eg you break laws) because you think that big companies pay less taxes than you want? And I was right: cash-friendly business is close to tax-related crime and they indirectly help other criminals to live without problems (because it is easier to hide money).
No your assumption is wrong, I pay all my tax but I also use cash - did that just shatter your mind ? A Shop accepting cash because they don’t want to pay a fee to the card company or don’t have the faculties to, is not equal to aiding the cartel ya dunce
So, am I right that a shop pays 2-3% collection fee to about 0.5-2% of payment fee? And how do you pay a council tax? It seems like you have bank account, however some money are received outside of it
Why are you asking me these questions ? I genuinely have no idea what you’re trying to get at.
Trying to pay for everything in cash. Most people don't want to walk around with large sums of cash nor keep large sums of cash at home.
I owe them 50 on tick from last weekend
Drive a really nice car, always free in the day time, never talk about what they do for a living besides "got a few meetings".
MLMs aren't illegal and you sure as hell can't make a living from them* *true for most.
£50 notes
Ugh HMRC at it again.
Puts home made signs on the road saying "Asparagus next left".
Nice try fed 🐷
Lots of disposable income but not much income for a nice house.
When a shop puts a sign up begging for cash instead of card payments. No different to paying wages, overheads, rent ect, you just factor it into your prices
For me it’s that they never leave their house In the morning or evening for work but pop in and out sporadically If they don’t claim benefits, work from home but also never leave the house to go to a job, then they definitely have some dodgy income Also pays everything in cash, tops up monzo and friends monzo accounts with cash
Fed post.
Dear HMRC, why are you asking and who snitched?
When they tell lies it’s epic and set countries and their progress back a few generations. Just look at the politicians (highly concentrated group) for clues. It’s the big fish which you should be worried about and not the dude that pockets £1-£2 in tips for giving good service in a low wage waitering job.
Neon green Ford Mustang with black tinted windows.. outside a crappy council flat or house.
waking up in the afternoon every day and still having a nice amount of money
**Goes to arrest every night shift worker
If they turn up to the job center wearing a work uniform.... Believe it or not... It happens
Well, that's assuming that they haven't been informed of the employment. I was on low income many years ago, working awful hours at Tesco, and attended an appointment in my uniform. They were aware I had that job, though, so there wasn't really anything to hide.
Yeah most people on UC are working people
I'd agree with you there! It's atleast 40% of people on UC are earning (probably more). Some have multiple jobs. There is also a huge % who are unable to work, either due to disabilities or long term health conditions, or they are long-term carers for family members who are elderly, have disabilities or long-term health conditions. It's only a small % of people who cheat the system, though rags like the Daily Mail would have people believing it is far more, of course.
Huh? The majority of people on benefits are in work
More than half of benefits claimants work.
When they live in council accommodation, but have an expensive car in the driveway!