More Norwegians defrauding social security benefits while abroad

NAV,NAV logo. Photo Norway Today Media

Nav reports an increasing number of Norwegians for defrauding Nav benefits while they are abroad. Nav think it was defrauded of at least 50 million in 2015.

– In 2015 we reported 169 people for defrauding benefits while abroad. This is twice the number of people that we reported three years ago, department head at Nav, Magne Fladby, told NRK.

Nav suspect these people of defrauding the state of tens of millions of kroner by receiving benefits while living abroad, when they were supposed to have lived in Norway.

– We suspect these people of having defrauded us of 50 million kroner. Half of the people we have reported,have received  work assessment allowances. A third of them have received unemployment benefits,  Fladby says.

The average amount in each case Nav has reported is 300,000 kroner, but Fladby do not think they catch everyone attempting to defraud the benefits.

– It would be naive to think that there are not hidden figures from other people doing the same. But how great these hidden figures are, we are not able to say, the department head says .

To catch more of the defrauders, Nav has put together a special investigation team. Fladby will not comment on the control methods in detail, but says that the currency register is a good help for Nav.

– It reveals transactions made abroad, and in this respect we can see that they are spending money abroad.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today             ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,20,16,,,,,,,,,,I går,,,,,IN