Social security fraud in Vorarlberg: increase of 60 percent alarms authorities!

Social security fraud in Vorarlberg: increase of 60 percent alarms authorities!

In 2024, Vorarlberg recorded an alarming increase in welfare fraud. The damage caused amounts to around 1.01 million euros, which corresponds to an increase of more than 60 percent compared to the previous year. While 631,400 euros in damage were registered in 2023, the numbers have now increased significantly. This development is particularly worrying because Vorarlberg, along with Styria, has the highest increases in the entire country. According to [vol.at].

A look at the nationwide statistics shows that Austria registered a total of 23.36 million euros in social benefit fraud cases in 2024. This represents a decrease of two million euros compared to the previous year, but the figures remain above the levels of previous years. Vorarlberg accounts for a significant part of the total damage, around 4.3 percent. A total of 5,007 suspects were recorded, including 1,400 people with Austrian citizenship and 3,607 with foreign citizenship.

Clarification and types of fraud

The clearance rate for social benefit fraud in Vorarlberg is remarkably high and is almost 100 percent. Of a total of 4,865 reported crimes, 4,841 were resolved. Social benefit fraud often occurs through false or incomplete information about income, employment or residence and affects benefits such as unemployment benefit, minimum income and family allowance.

In this context, attention was also drawn to the role of the Social Benefit Fraud Task Force (SOLBE), which was set up by the Federal Criminal Police Office in 2018 to take action against this form of fraud. According to the Federal Criminal Police Office, the increase in the number of cases and damage is a clear indication of the need for this task force. SOLBE has already discovered over 50 different fraud modes, which are classified into seven main categories.

Typical fraud practices

Typical forms of social benefit fraud include:

• Erschleichung der Mindestsicherung trotz ausreichendem Vermögen
• Missbrauch von Pensionsleistungen durch Scheinwohnsitz
• Widerrechtlicher Erhalt der Familienbeihilfe
• Verbotene Auslandsaufenthalte bei Bezug von Sozialleistungen
• Erschleichung der Grundversorgung mit falschen Identitäten

Penalties for welfare fraud range from a prison sentence of six months to ten years, while administrative fines of up to 4,000 euros can be imposed on states for violations of welfare laws.

In view of the increasing number of frauds, experts see an increased need to promote awareness of social benefit fraud and the possibilities for reporting suspected cases. According to ORF, this also increases the need for increased sensitivity among the population in order to recognize and report abuse of social benefits.