Residents of rural areas, people with disabilities and illiterate, were targeted by fraudulent practices; A remarkable case involves a retiree who was linked to an association that requires a 957 km trip
The investigation into fraud related to undue discounts in retirement revealed that vulnerable groups, such as residents of rural areas, people with disabilities and illiterate, have been targeted by fraudulent practices. A remarkable case involves a manacapuru retiree, which was linked to an association that requires a 957 km trip for membership. “It is unlikely that a 78 -year -old retiree would go through such a distance to associate, just as it is unlikely to go through so many kilometers in search of associates,” says the stretch reproduced by the Federal Police.
The findings indicate that deviations can reach R $ 6.3 billion, with 14 retirees identified as having discounts on their benefits, even without the possibility of enjoying the advantages offered by the associations. “As an aggravation of this situation, there is the fact that the target audience of this irregular conduct is elderly, most resident in the countryside, without its own transportation, and that has difficulties in access to the internet and displacement to an INSS agency to serve and clarify doubts,” says the CGU stretch quoted by.
The discounts in question were managed by the National Confederation of Family Farmers and Rural Family Entrepreneurs of Brazil (Conofer), who was made available to collaborate with the investigations. During the interviews conducted by CGU, 1,198 retirees were consulted, and 1,172 of them said they had not authorized the discounts. In addition, new registered discounts were detected even after cancellation requests.
The CGU has come to the conclusion that the protection offered by the INSS to vulnerable groups is insufficient, and the current practice compromises this protection. In response to the complaints, the INSS reported that agreements with the entities involved were suspended and that the return of unrecognized discounts will be analyzed by the Union’s General Advocacy.
Posted by Nátaly Tenório
*Report produced with the aid of AI
