Fraudsters received 13 million in social benefits in Belgium

At the beginning of 2017, the police tracked down a large-scale network of fraudsters in the province of Limburg. A key figure from Heusden-Zolder ensured that hundreds of people were able to receive a social benefit or other social advantages using forged documents. Even three undercover officers succeeded in obtaining a benefit through him.

The gang leaders worked together with two doctors from Hasselt and Genk. In this way, dozens of false medical certificates were drawn up that were intended to show that clients were more than 66 percent unfit for work.

Anyone who wished to receive social advantages approached the gang leaders and paid between EUR 3,500 and EUR 10,000, depending on what had to be arranged: fictitious jobs, fictitious registrations in Belgium, forged documents or medical certificates. In this way, at least 257 people wrongly received a benefit or other social advantages, for a total of more than EUR 13 million.

The gang members faced prison sentences of up to three years and a fine. Those who had wrongly received a benefit did not face any criminal sanction.

This case is not about property abroad, but it shows the scale of social fraud committed through documents and declarations. The same mechanisms are at play with the sworn declaration (verklaring op erewoord) on real estate: what is not checked is not found. How an OCMW (public centre for social welfare) can carry out the means test for the living wage (leefloon) abroad as well is explained in Means test for the living wage. The difference between domicile fraud and property fraud is set out in Domicile fraud versus property fraud.

Source: Het Belang van Limburg, republished by SCEPTR.