Dear Urban Diplomat: should I rat out my disability-scamming colleague?
Dear Urban Diplomat,
I’m a teacher struggling to find full-time work. I recently got a job at a high school, but it only lasts until the end of the school year. Meanwhile, another teacher at my school has been off work for two years with knee trouble. Recently, I saw pictures on social media of her skating. It’s infuriating that she’s collecting long-term disability while clearly faking, especially with teachers getting slammed in the media over our contract negotiations. Keep her secret, or turn her in?
—High School Confidential, Danforth Village
The photos of your supposed system-milking colleague only prove one thing: social media is the death of privacy. What they don’t show, at least not conclusively, is that she’s a scammer. It’s possible (though not likely) that skating is part of her rehab. As frustrating as it may seem, you don’t know the whole story, so it’s best not to meddle. And if she is scamming? She’s clearly not very good at it and will get chased down by justice sooner or later.
Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at urbandiplomat@torontolife.com
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/city/urban-diplomat-disability-scammer/&title=Dear Urban Diplomat: should I rat out my disability-scamming colleague?&picture=https://cdn.torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/dear-urban-diplomat-high-school-confidential.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_316299" align="alignright" width="292"] (Image: Todd Petrie/Flickr)[/caption]
Dear Urban Diplomat,
I’m a teacher struggling to find full-time work. I recently got a job at a high school, but it only lasts until the end of the school year. Meanwhile, another teacher at my school has been off work for two years with knee trouble. Recently, I saw pictures on social media of her skating. It’s infuriating that she’s collecting long-term disability while clearly faking, especially with teachers getting slammed in the media over our contract negotiations. Keep her secret, or turn her in?
—High School Confidential, Danforth Village
The photos of your supposed system-milking colleague only prove one thing: social media is the death of privacy. What they don’t show, at least not conclusively, is that she’s a scammer. It’s possible (though not likely) that skating is part of her rehab. As frustrating as it may seem, you don’t know the whole story, so it’s best not to meddle. And if she is scamming? She’s clearly not very good at it and will get chased down by justice sooner or later.
Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at urbandiplomat@torontolife.com){kind=link}