Social fraud has fallen sharply in the past year compared to 2021. While there were still 4,346 reports in this area of crime in 2021, this number fell by 27 percent to 3,173 in the previous year. The ministries of the Interior and Finance announced this on Monday.
In 2022, this resulted in a damage of 14,121,501 euros, compared to more than 20 million the year before. Most crimes were committed in Vienna. It was striking that the proportion of foreign suspects in particular fell sharply.
In the previous year, there were 3,345 suspects, of whom 1,119 were Austrian citizens and 2,226 nationals of other countries. Despite a considerably higher total number of suspects (4730), this meant only a small decrease in the share of local suspects (2021: 1384). However, the number of foreign suspects fell by 1,120 within a year.
Karner: “Action sharp has an effect”
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) said the campaign, which was launched in spring 2022, had had an effect: “Hundreds of targeted campaigns across Austria made it possible to effectively combat abuse of social benefits.” Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) ): “Benefit fraud harms honest working taxpayers, which is why constructive inter-agency cooperation between BMI and BMF is so important.”
More than 50 different modi operandi have been recorded, according to the two ministries. These included fraudulently obtaining a minimum income despite sufficient assets, misusing pension benefits by falsifying a sham residence, illegally receiving child benefits, prohibited stays abroad while receiving social benefits, and fraudulently obtaining basic services by using false identities.
Clearance rate 99.8 percent
Almost every reported case was also cleared up, with a clear-up rate of 99.8 percent. The Social Security Fraud Taskforce has been installed at the Federal Criminal Investigation Department since December 2021.
Source: Krone
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