No less than 17 people were deprived of their liberty on Thursday as part of a case being investigated for serious social fraud, the Brussels Labor Auditorium reported in a press release.
During the operation, 20 searches were carried out in the Brussels region, as well as in the provinces of Antwerp and Flemish Brabant. Around 15,000 euros in cash were discovered.
“The damage caused by this criminal organization to Belgian social security is estimated at 1.5 million euros thanks to an identity theft mechanism which made it possible to fraudulently affiliate natural persons to the social status of self-employed persons with a view to improperly obtain bridging right compensation“, it is explained in the press release.
According to the Brussels Labor Office, part of the money generated was transferred to bank accounts and invested in real estate in Bulgaria. The police have also blocked 105 accounts in Belgium. Property seizures have also been requested from Bulgaria, as has the blocking of bank accounts benefiting from transactions.
The operation was carried out by the federal judicial police (PJF) of Brussels, in close collaboration with the National Institute of Social Insurance for Self-Employed Workers (Inasti).
social fraud police search labor auditor
