The damage attributed to them amounted to 25.5 million euros – an increase of 80.7 percent compared to 2022 and the strongest annual result to date since the task force was founded in 2018, which the Interior Ministry attributes to the close cooperation with the tax authorities and many other partners.
“The joint investigation team against social benefits fraud is taking important and consistent measures for all those who work hard and use their contributions to ensure that the state provides benefits. We must handle taxpayers’ money carefully and prevent misuse. The impressive investigative successes confirm once again that the establishment of this investigation team was the right step,” said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) in a press release on Sunday. Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) added: “Social benefits are intended to support people who find themselves in difficult situations. But we are taking decisive action against those who illegally enrich themselves at the expense of the general public.”
Focus on fictitious residences
The SOLBE task force is currently focusing on people who are faking their place of residence in Austria in order to illegally collect social benefits. Since 2018, over 20,000 suspects have been identified in this regard. The investigation team draws on an extensive national and international network for its investigations. In addition to the financial police as a central partner, various state police directorates, the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) and embassies and liaison officers abroad are also involved in the investigations. There are also many partners in public administration, such as the Pension Insurance Institute.
More than 50 different forms of crime are summarized under the heading of social security fraud. The number of reports and the amount of damages have been increasing steadily for years, which is due to increased control measures and awareness-raising measures for all relevant stakeholders and paying bodies.
Clearance rate: 99.6 percent
The Interior Ministry reports a crime clearance rate of 99.6 percent compared to the previous year. Of the suspects identified, 1,250 were Austrian citizens, 3,394 were not. “It is always astonishing how unscrupulously some suspects try to defraud the state,” said Gerald Tatzgern, head of the relevant department at the Federal Criminal Police Office.
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