Denmark Going After Social Security Cheats in Thailand

Too many people spend their unemployment lazing away on Thailand’s beaches instead of staying home in Denmark and look for work, says the Chair of the Danish Social Affair’s Committee, Martin Henriksen. 
When recent statistics from the Danish Social Ministry showed that almost half the cases of fraud with social security money was Danes taking unauthorized vacations or even moving out of Denmark, the  government decided to put focus on the area. In 2009, 9 million Danish kroner were paid back in fines and it is that number that the government is now trying to raise.

With specific focus on Thailand, Spain, Turkey and Morrocco, the government is now putting together a special investigations team to catch the culprits. The team cooperates with airport police, the relevant Danish embassies and local authorities.
“It is important to take serious measures towards those who are systematically exploiting the system, so we can spend the resources on people, who actually need them,” says Henriksen.
This means that social security recipients will be checked in the airport. If it turns out that they are in the process of leaving Denmark without having notified the unemployment office of their plans, the social security will be suspended and they will be forced to return the money already received.
It is not clear how many Danish citizens on social security money are currently abroad.

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