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I'm talking about like tax fraud and stuff.

Do you be the snitch, or do you be like Skyler White and join them?

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[-] libra00@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

First, Skyler was practically a hostage, and an unwilling participant at best. I would describe her more as an abuse victim who still stays with her partner than a collaborator.

But to answer your question it's always going to be a case-by-case basis because it really depends on the impact of what they're doing and the harm it causes.

  • Defrauding the government? Meh, the government has been fucking us for generations, turnabout is fair play.

  • Stealing from some oligarch? Shit, need a partner? Eat the rich.

  • Embezzling from your small-business employer? That's more likely to have a direct impact on your coworkers so I'd be concerned but still probably not.

But more serious stuff like dealing hard drugs to kids, selling guns and bombs to crazy people, killing people, blowing shit up, etc? Yeah, now we have a problem. Now, what gets done about that problem also depends on the person, the activity, and the circumstances.

  • My husband came after me with a knife so I shot him? Cool, gimme a call if you need help hiding the body.
  • Help I accidentally murdered someone (and it really was an accident)? Gray area, the law probably needs to get involved but I would encourage them to come forward themselves rather than turn them in. If they had a compelling reason not to I might help them or might stay out of it depending on circumstance.
  • My wife wouldn't let me turn our home into the set of a realtiy TV show so I could be a star so I beat her to death (an actual thing that happened)? Hello officer, it was this guy right here.
[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

Agreed. Are they punching up or down? What’s the potential harm and who will it harm?

If they’re just setting themselves up for disaster it’s probably best to remain hands-off and distance yourself. If they have a family I’d at least tell them what an idiot they are and then distance myself. Probably might be worth checking with the partner and tell them to protect themselves if they aren’t part of it.

And yeah, like you said, anything causing harm to innocent parties like selling hard drugs or guns is a non-starter.

[-] libra00@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Yeah, their reasons for doing it matter too obviously. If they're just fucking over other people to enrich themselves then I am much more likely to report them (and also stop being friendly, cause that's not the kind of person I want to spend my time with.)

Also re:selling guns I should clarify - I don't have an issue with selling guns, even illegally, unless they're selling to people who shouldn't have them.

[-] Zak@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago

If it harmed an innocent, probably. If it harmed a government, corporation, or detestable person, no.

[-] Flagstaff@programming.dev 0 points 3 weeks ago

Rarely is it only one or the other and not both or even several together, though...

[-] hoi_polloi@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 weeks ago

It's a case by case judgment call.

[-] RBWells@lemmy.world 7 points 3 weeks ago

No and no.

Ponzi scheme or something like that? Yes, I would snitch. Bank robbery, please do not tell me. Cheating on taxes? I will judge you but no, not turn you in, if you get caught you get caught.

[-] TheThrillOfTime@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 weeks ago

Snitches get stitches. Unless someone is hurting people, I ain't seen nothing.

[-] PhilipTheBucket@ponder.cat 4 points 3 weeks ago

I feel like this is the kind of question that needs a whole lot of details before it is answerable.

Tax fraud? Absolutely fuck not.

Drunk driving? Probably I would give them a single "Hey next time I find out you're doing that I am calling the cops on you" warning shot.

Stealing from their company? Depends, what does the company do and who owns it? Again almost certainly not.

And so on.

[-] d00ery@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)
[-] libra00@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Personally I make a distinction in tax fraud. If it's an individual? Meh, whatever. If it's a company that has a significantly larger impact.

[-] CrazyLikeGollum@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago

Depends on the details. If their crime hurt someone innocent (or had a high likelihood to) and it was intentional, yes.

If I'm likely to go down with them if they get caught, yes.

Otherwise, I ain't no snitch and even if I were I don't know anything about nothing.

[-] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago
[-] libra00@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago

Yeah, I would've done so too, because that dude was bankrupting people just to make himself a bit richer. I hope he rots in hell.

[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 3 weeks ago

See, there's people here saying never for something nonviolent. That's kinda silly, non-violent crimes can be just as bad. They're just less visually compelling.

[-] potentiallynotfelix@lemmy.fish 1 points 3 weeks ago

They often don't consider child sexual abuse where the offense isn't violent but the child will be permanently harmed unless they get help.

[-] libra00@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

I have higher standards than most people I guess. My rule is simple: don't be stupid, don't be a dick. If you can't clear those two pretty low bars then you are cordially invited to get bent.

[-] shaggyb@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

Ya, hopefully OP is in a safe place if need be.

[-] Zachariah@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago
[-] aeronmelon@lemmy.world -1 points 3 weeks ago

I ain’t seen nuttin’, officer.

[-] BuboScandiacus@mander.xyz 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)
[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 3 weeks ago

Every family and relationship is different, I guess. I feel like active extortion would make the dinners a bit weird for me.

[-] huquad@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 weeks ago

What's the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?

[-] SW42@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

This is democracy manifest!

[-] mysticpickle@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 weeks ago

Ah I see you know your judo well!

[-] ThePyroPython@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

Get your hand off my peNIS!

[-] moe93@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 3 weeks ago

And you sir, are you waiting to receive my limp penis?

[-] VinesNFluff@pawb.social 2 points 3 weeks ago

Neither? I'd wash my hands off the whole thing "on your head be it if this goes to shit".0

Not calling the authorities, also not going to need torture to tell them what I know if you get caught.

[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Ethics comes above personal relationships always. That being said, small-scale tax fraud doesn't really seem pressing; there's plenty of flexibility about what to do about that, ethically speaking.

I'd have to duckduckgo where you even report that, because I don't think it's the normal police.

[-] Ledericas@lemm.ee 1 points 3 weeks ago

Depends, if the crime severely harms other people

[-] AA5B@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Serious, yes. Tax fraud, no.

Tax fraud may be serious to the govt, and the punishment may be serious, but you’re not hurting an individual, you’re not putting anyone out if business or out of a job, you’re not committing treason, you’re not even displaying sociopathic tendencies. Maybe if it were on the scale of Trump’s tax fraud …

[-] ocean@lemmy.selfhostcat.com 1 points 3 weeks ago

I agree with other commenters that it depends on the crime against my own morals.

[-] bobs_monkey@lemm.ee 1 points 3 weeks ago

You don't have join them, but you can also not see a god damned thing. Unless they're doing something that screws over good, innocent people, especially on a wide scale, I'm minding my own business.

[-] Vanth@reddthat.com 1 points 3 weeks ago

Report them for tax fraud? Almost definitely not. I would be getting a lawyer and accountant to insulate myself and my financials from them.

[-] potentiallynotfelix@lemmy.fish 1 points 3 weeks ago

Generally if a person or small business was harmed then I'll report them but if it's the government and they did tax fraud or evasion I couldn't be bothered.

[-] superkret@feddit.org 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

If it's non-violent, no. never.

As a general rule, I don't call the cops on anyone unless that person's death will prevent immediate harm to others.

Cause if you call the cops on someone, you do put that person (and their neighbors) in mortal danger.

[-] libra00@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

What about taking the direct (early) Breaking Bad example: they're not gunning people down in the street, but their product is definitely getting poeple, including children, addicted. It's non-violent, let's say they don't even hire people to shoot competitors or whatever, but it is inarguably causing people significant, probably life-long harm.

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[-] Dorkyd68@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Styler was complicit in a murderous/ deadly underground drug ring, where families are shredded apart and people died.

Someone fibbing on their 1099 isn't anywhere near the same

[-] kambusha@sh.itjust.works 0 points 3 weeks ago

Snitch on a loved one? Never. If I thought it was ethically or morally wrong, I would tell them what I think about it. Good people also make mistakes, and good people can change.

[-] potentiallynotfelix@lemmy.fish 2 points 3 weeks ago

What if your family member deliberately molested a young child, would you not want to get that child help? Even if you refused to tell the police, you would need to tell someone related to that child and 99/100 cases would result in them reporting the abuse to police.

[-] d00ery@lemmy.world 0 points 3 weeks ago

This is nepotism plain and simple.

Everyone looks at trump employing his friends and family and complains, but put in the same place you'd all do the same.

[-] MrShankles@reddthat.com 0 points 3 weeks ago

Well that's a left-field response. He's not just employing friends and family, he's also employing loyalists who've garnered favors from him (because of their loyalty). And it isn't just a business, it's a government

I would employ my family if I could, but I sure as hell wouldn't choose them over qualified professionals, whether it's a business or a government. I'm sure as shit not gonna have someone with no financial expertise running my accounting, no matter how much I love them.

Don't make everything political and start stirring shit, we have enough of that right now

[-] d00ery@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)
[-] MrShankles@reddthat.com 0 points 3 weeks ago

What are you on about? Anything but OP's question I guess, just going on tangents instead?

The article you linked is about corporate tax avoidance btw, which yes, absolutely effects everyone. Anything else you'd like to add to your ramblings?

[-] d00ery@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

You are correct that it's corporate tax fraud in the link I provided. Here's something about the cost of individual tax fraud.

Please, take your pick.

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-04-13/tax-cheats-are-costing-the-us-1-trillion-a-year-irs-estimates

https://www.efile.com/tax-evaders-tax-cheaters-tax-evasion/

OP:

I'm talking about like tax fraud and stuff.

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this post was submitted on 19 Apr 2025
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