The benefits sickfluencers teaching Brits how to play the...

WHEN Whitney Ainscough took delivery of a brand-new SUV with a panoramic sunroof, she went online to brag that she had paid for the £80,000 motor using sickness benefits. Using the hashtag for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) – meant for people with long-term physical or mental health conditions - the mum-of-three gloated: “I just want to say a big thank you to all the people that go to work and pay tax to pay for my car for me.

Image Credit: The Sun [Portrait of a woman sitting on a couch.]

“It’s a panoramic roof, not a soft top, by the way, so don’t get it mixed up. Panoramic is much better. Thank you so much, I appreciate my car, lots.”. Whitney’s April 2023 TikTok post sent those who viewed it into a rage. One viewer replied: “I worked all my life and now I’m disabled but I’d still never disrespect the people that go work 'cause I was one. Shameful post, I’d love to be able to work.”.

Image Credit: The Sun [Family on boat trip near shipwreck.]

Another posted: “No dignity, pride, or self respect. You think you are winning but you're actually losing. No life experience.”. A third claimed he would report Whitney to the Government, saying: “This is getting shown to HMRC.”. But Whitney regularly blogged about her income from benefits that year – sometimes offering tips on how others could make claims. Her videos emerged as The Sun probes the rise of so-called ‘sickfluencers,’ men and women who rack up tens of thousands of followers by blogging about claiming benefits intended for people with long-term, serious conditions.

Image Credit: The Sun [Woman standing next to a white Range Rover in a showroom.]

Between her regular posts on claiming 'free' cash from the state, Whitney flaunts her exotic breaks abroad - including one to Zante, which she previously said cost £8,000. Personal Independence Payments (PIP) offer financial support for people with a range of conditions including depression, anxiety and ADHD. They offer help with extra living costs and can be claimed by people who are out of work and those with jobs but who need help getting around or with everyday tasks.

Image Credit: The Sun [Screenshot of a woman stating she will never get a job, with a partially obscured image of her weekly benefit statement showing £1151.90.]

And while the majority of those claiming PIP will be genuinely in need of support, there is concern that others are learning how to game the system. Experts warn that our spiralling sick note culture has fuelled a surge in claims, with £48billion paid out to people for a wide range of disabilities and mental health issues in 2023. This is a £12billion rise on the £36billion handed out in sickness benefits before the pandemic.

Image Credit: The Sun [Couple in the water on vacation.]

And the bill is expected to sap £100billion a year from the public purse by the end of the decade if current trends continue. Contacted by The Sun, Whitney, 31, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, insisted she never received PIP, despite countless posts about claiming benefits on social media. She says she now makes £60,000 a month selling legitimate commercial products through her various social media accounts and there is nothing to suggest she has done anything illegal.

Image Credit: The Sun [Woman in a gray hoodie shares a PIP tip.]

Our investigation found that a number of influencers have gained huge online followings by offering advice on how to make sickness benefits claims. The tips given out include using keywords such as “psychological distress” to ramp up the scoring criteria and prove you need financial support. Sickfluencers also show how to avoid “trick” questions as the claimant navigates the various tests. One of those to have offered advice is Chantelle Knight, who previously provided PIP “hacks” to her 100,000 followers.

Her TikTok video tutorials, posted on her neurodiverselife2 account, offer guidance on how to apply for PIP if a person has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or autism. And while many of her followers will genuinely need support, Chantelle says she stopped offering the advice when too many others jumped on the bandwagon. She told The Sun: “About a year and half ago, I used to give out information to people with ADHD and autism and at the time, no one was really doing that.

“But after a while so many accounts emerged that I stopped because it just became a saturated industry and it was completely out-of-control. “I have seen some really bad accounts over time - and in the last year in particular - that really shouldn’t be up. I would say, ‘I’m getting this much sick money,’ and it winds people up and brings more traction. “They are pushing the idea that you can receive benefits if you have a disability.

“The one thing we need to remember is that having a disability is not a right of passage to a benefit. It’s evidence based. “I only gave advice on PIP so people could get support if they are entitled to it. I’ve spoken to people who say, ‘I’ve just been diagnosed with this, can I get some money?’. “Well, not necessarily, because it’s how the disability impacts you. You are only entitled to benefits if you need support.”.