Customs Office Secures Benefit Fraud Convictions: Man Fined €1,500, Another Avoids Jail
The Main Customs Office in Osnabrück has successfully concluded two benefit fraud cases, leading to convictions and fines. The investigations involved a 40-year-old man from Quakenbrück and a 29-year-old man from Löhne.
In the first case, the 40-year-old man from Quakenbrück was caught concealing his employment from the employment agency. He was fined 1,500 euros for this offence, which resulted in a damage of around 760 euros to the agency. In the second case, the 29-year-old man from Löhne was sentenced to a six-month prison sentence, suspended for three years, for unlawfully receiving around 600 euros in unemployment benefits.
The investigations began when the new employee was reported to the Main Customs Office Osnabrück in 2024 by his employer through a notification of social insurance registration. This led to the discovery of the man from Löhne who had started a social insurance-obligated job without notifying the social benefit agency.
Both verdicts are final. The man from Quakenbrück was penalised for failing to report his employment subject to social insurance contributions to the benefit recipient. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of honesty and transparency in such matters.
