In Germany, if a 21-year-old German citizen claims to be very poor, has no income, and does not work, and if he lives together with his mother, can he receive welfare benefits?
Can he receive housing subsidies and daily living allowances?
If he says that he receives no welfare at all, is he lying?
He applied to study in the UK—can he obtain enough financial aid or loans to afford studying in the UK?
He also says his mother is a social worker, whose salary should not be low and should be sufficient to support the three-person family and even pay for his university education.
But he says he cannot afford a British university, and he also does not apply to any German university.
Yet he accepts a large amount of money (several thousand euros) from a Finnish minor whom he met online.
How can this situation be explained?
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✅ Answers
1. Can a 21-year-old German, living with his mother, receive welfare benefits?
Usually NO.
In Germany, adults aged 18–24 who live with their parents are considered part of the same household unit (“Bedarfsgemeinschaft”).
If the mother has a normal income (especially as a social worker), the household income is considered sufficient, and the child is not entitled to Bürgergeld (basic welfare).
So:
No independent welfare benefits
No housing subsidy (because he is living in his mother’s home)
No daily living allowance from the state
This means:
➡ It is realistic that he receives no welfare.
He may not be lying about this particular point.
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2. Can he receive housing support?
No.
Housing costs are only covered if the person rents their own separate apartment.
Living with parents means:
No rent of his own
No housing subsidy
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3. If he says he receives no benefits at all, is he lying?
Not necessarily.
Given the rules, a 21-year-old living with a working parent often gets zero state support.
But this does NOT explain his other contradictions (more below).
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4. Can he get enough financial aid to study in the United Kingdom?
Almost impossible.
German BAföG only covers limited amounts for study abroad
It is NOT enough to pay UK tuition (often £15,000–£38,000/year)
UK student loans are not available to German citizens unless they have long-term settled status in the UK
➡ So he really cannot afford UK universities.
This part is believable.
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5. Why does he not apply to German universities (which are basically free)?
This is suspicious.
German public universities cost almost nothing.
If his mother has a stable income, there is no financial reason not to attend.
Possible explanations:
❗ A. He lacks motivation to study
❗ B. He did not qualify for admission
❗ C. He is avoiding responsibilities / adulthood
❗ D. He is creating a “poor, helpless” story to justify his behavior
❗ E. He uses the “poverty” narrative to manipulate someone emotionally
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6. Why is he accepting thousands of euros from a Finnish minor he met online?
This is the biggest red flag.
A 21-year-old adult taking large sums from a minor is:
Ethically wrong
Potentially illegal in Germany (economic exploitation of a minor)
Often associated with emotional manipulation
A classic sign of grooming or control dynamics
The most likely explanation:
He is exaggerating or fabricating a narrative of extreme poverty to:
Gain sympathy
Control the minor
Receive money
Maintain psychological dependency
This is extremely common in online exploitation dynamics.
It does not match with:
Having a working mother
Having free access to German universities
Not seeking education or work
Being capable of supporting himself but choosing not to
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🔍 Overall interpretation
Putting all the facts together:
Some parts of his story are technically true
✔ A 21-year-old living with a working parent often gets no welfare
✔ He really cannot afford UK universities
✔ He may genuinely have no income
But other parts of his behavior are highly suspicious
❌ He does not seek German university (free)
❌ He does not work
❌ He exaggerates “poverty”
❌ He accepts large amounts of money from a minor
❌ His story is internally inconsistent
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🧭 Final assessment
The most realistic explanation is:
He is not genuinely in “severe poverty.”
He likely lives with a mother who can support him.
He is not taking steps to help himself (study or work).
He is using a narrative of poverty and helplessness to emotionally manipulate a Finnish minor and obtain money.
This is exploitative, unethical, and potentially illegal.