NAV has found 183 million in fraud

NAV Social security fraud, NAV Rule labour marketNAV.Photo: Norway Today Media

So far in 2016 has NAV has reviewed 907 people for social security fraud. Most cases were for fraud of unemployment benefits or work assessment allowance.

It’s fraud of unemployment benefits that tops the statistics. The allowance is to ensure the income of those who are outside the labor market can survive financially.

So far this year 563 people were reported for fraud of unemployment benefits for a total of 83.6 million kroner. It is about the same as the same period of 2015.

– The system is based on trust, and the vast majority who receive benefits from NAV are honest, but it is serious when someone is abusing schemes that are intended as income support, said Labor and Welfare Director Sigrun Vågeng.

She emphasizes that NAV has good controls in place to expose people who are receiving unemployment benefit even if they are working.

NAV has also reviewed several who unlawfully received benefits during a stay abroad. So far this year 97 people were reported doing this for a total of 22 million Kroner.

The reviews also included wrongful payment of sickness benefits, child benefits, disability pension, lump sum to parents and single parent families.

The ten biggest cases together constitute 16.6 million kroner and all these cases include social security fraud for one million or more.

Insurance Fraud over 1G of national insurance base (around 90,000 kroner) is punishable by imprisonment. NAV always requires the wrongful amount has to be repaid.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today

 

——