Millions Fraud with Social Benefits Uncovered: Vienna Remains a Hotspot

Nearly 4,900 cases with over 5,000 suspects were reported, said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) on Monday at a press conference. This is about 10 percent more reports and suspects than in 2023. For the coming months, Karner announced targeted actions, including at Vienna-Schwechat Airport.

Common Fraud Types: Compensatory Allowance, Social Assistance, Child Benefit

According to the Interior Minister, one of the most common cases is the illegal receipt of the compensatory allowance for pensions, even though the individuals live abroad. They would then pretend to have a residence in Austria. Receiving social assistance or unemployment benefits despite having income, and the illegal receipt of child benefits are also more frequent. More than half of the reports are in Vienna.

Karner: "We Catch Practically All of Them"

The trend in social benefits fraud remains consistently high, but the guilty conscience of the unlawful recipients is relatively small, said Gerald Tatzgern, head of the Central Office for Combating Human Smuggling at the Federal Criminal Police Office. With 72 percent, the proportion of foreigners among the suspects remains high. In 2024, the most noticeable were people from Syria, followed by individuals from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Serbia, and Turkey, said Tatzgern.

Karner expressed satisfaction with the clearance rate of 99.5 percent: "We catch practically all of them." Social benefits fraud is a control offense - the more you control, the more cases come to light. However, one can only speculate about an unknown number of unreported cases.

Focus Action at Vienna Airport During Holiday Season

If someone is caught, they must repay the benefits, Karner continued. How much of the money is recovered is almost impossible to answer, explained the head of the financial police, Wilfried Lehner. Each paying agency must individually reclaim the money.

For the coming months, Karner announced focus actions. During the holiday season, for example, at Vienna-Schwechat Airport - this could help track down those who receive unemployment benefits and do not deregister when they travel abroad. There will also be targeted checks - coordinated with the Public Employment Service (AMS) - on marginally employed individuals who might be engaged in undeclared work, as well as in the area of basic care facilities for asylum seekers and beneficiaries.

Armenians Pretended to Be Syrians

It happens that basic care is received, but the people in their home country own assets such as land or companies, said Tatzgern. A high number of Armenian citizens were also found to have pretended to be Syrians to obtain asylum and social benefits. However, all social and professional groups are under scrutiny, he emphasized. For instance, a doctor is suspected of having billed more than 100 people whom she never treated. In 2024, 197 shell companies were also removed from the market, Lehner recounted. For 2025, it is already apparent that the number has doubled.

According to Tatzgern, the task force learns about the cases "through the open eyes and ears of our colleagues from the financial authorities, the federal police" and other institutions with which they work closely - for example, the AMS or the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK).

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.