Covering of social fraud: EUR 23 million in Vienna!

Covering of social fraud: EUR 23 million in Vienna!

On September 21, 2025, the Austrian government emphasized the urgency of a law to combat social service fraud. This measure comes in the context of an alarming increase in fraud cases, which rose by around 9.1 percent in 2024, which led to almost 4,900 ads. The total damage due to illegal connection to social benefits now amounts to over 23 million euros per year, as Krone reports.

The Task Force social service fraud (TF Solbe), which was founded in 2018, has informed damage of around 135 million euros since its foundation. In 2024 alone, 4,865 cases were registered, which illustrates the increased sensitivity of the population and the success of cross -agency cooperation. The TF Solbe is a central instrument for the protection of the Austrian welfare state, which is also integrated into the police company in order to systematically record and combat abuse, according to the Federal Criminal Police Office.

Frequent fraud forms

The fraud cases that have been documented in recent years include a variety of strategies. The following tactics should be mentioned in particular:

• Bezug von Sozialleistungen während längerer Auslandsaufenthalte.
• Weiterbezug von Pensionen trotz dauerhaften Auslandsaufenthalts.
• Arbeitslosengeld bei gleichzeitigem Einkommen, etwa durch Schwarzarbeit.
• Kinderbeihilfe ohne tatsächlichen Anspruch.
• Nicht gerechtfertigte Krankenstände.

In a concise example, a 31-year-old shows the absurdity of such cases, while at the same time moving unemployment benefit and emergency aid.

Share and nationality of the suspects

Over half of the registered fraud cases took place in Vienna, which underlines the urban character of the problem. It is also frightening that around 72 percent of suspects do not have Austrian citizenship. This raises questions about the integrity of social benefits and demands more control of authorities.

Planned measures to combat

The government is planning targeted measures as part of the fraud control package. The proposals include sanctions for repeated refusal to work, the obligation to submit passports to authorities and increased controls in social hotspots. In addition, better data comparison between different offices is sought in order to reclaim illegal payments more efficiently.

In order to ensure the effectiveness of the measures, an interministerial steering group was created that improves the exchange of information between the ministries involved and should therefore contribute to effectively combating social fraud. As confirms Federal Criminal Police, the clarification rate is almost 100 percent, which illustrates the determination of the authorities against this form of fraud.

In conclusion, it can be said that the increase in social service fraud cases not only is a serious social problem, but also signals that it urgently needs proactive measures to maintain the integrity of the social system. The Austrian Federal Criminal Police Office endeavors to ensure consistent surveillance and regulation in cooperation with other authorities that the support services benefit the actual needy. Further information can be found on the website of the Federal Criminal Police.