Danish seniors caught in social fraud in Thailand

OLDPEO

24 Danish seniors living in Thailand have been caught red-handed for cheating with their pension valued for over two million Danish kroner.

A single Danish senior in Thailand receives 13.000 Danish kroner before tax, but if he is living together with a Thai woman he will only receive 11.000 Danish kroner.

By not declaring the fact they are living together with a Thai woman, the Danish seniors have in three years been received a bigger pension income.

”During 2012, 2013 and 2014 we have examined the total of 435 seniors addressed in Thailand. 24 of these have now received a refund claim consisting of 2,1 million Danish kroner in total, says Ellen Dalsgaard Zdravkovic, deputy director in Udbetaling Danmark (The Cash Payment in Denmark).

The 24 seniors had not informed the authorities about their civil relationships, but none of the seniors have been reported to the police for criminal fraud. They have only been requested to return the money to the tax authorities in Denmark.

The last couple of years there has been put in place some additional control on payouts abroad due to a new authorisation to the Danish finance act in 2011.

”This means we can set more focus on payouts to seniors settled outside Denmark, in this case Danes living in Thailand”, says Ellen Dalsgaard Zdravkovic.

A few seniors have still not declared anything about their marital status.

Sources: www.ekstrabladet.dk

6 Comments on “Danish seniors caught in social fraud in Thailand”

  1. It is all the same problem for Swedish seniors. Obviously it is because it is assumed that the spouse also has a pension and the likely share the bed and house. However, the fact is that Thai women do not have a pension. The law regulating that should be changed.

  2. Benny Thomsen’s is right. Ekstra Bladet believes of course – like all Danes who don’t know any better – that the amount of money a pensioner receives in Denmark is the same as that they would receive anywhere in the world. Anything else would not be just and fair, right? And the Danes believe that their system is just and fair to the old and vulnerable. Well, I have won many bets with naive Danes on that issue! I have also personally tried several times to request an explanation from the Ministry for Social Affairs in Denmark, WHY the pension is cut down drastically if a person moves out of EU+ – only to get the same copy-and-paste standard reply explaining according to which paragraphs that this is in fact the case. Clearly, there is no justification for this discrimination.

  3. Did reply before, but look like it didn’t make it.
    Think it is wrong of you to make a translation from a Danish newspaper as I can see your translation are used by ThaiVisa.
    To make matters very cleat, Danes don’t get 11-13000.- in pension when they have a home outside EU, it is normal app. 6000.-dk minus tax around 35%. In case of a home in EU it is around 11-13000.- Denmark as one off the few EU countries have a different payment system for in or out of EU, UK do not.

  4. If it is “folkepension”, then the amount we get monthly is under 6000.-dk, when having a address outside EU. I will like to know how to get a payment off 11000.- is possible?
    Can’t see the reason for a lower payment if you have a Thai spouse.
    Hope the cost off controlling 435 people cost less than 2,1 million dknow.

  5. This tabloid EB is absolutely wrong. A retiree in Thailand receives an annual pension before tax of around DKK 70,000.- per annum or close to DKK 6,000.- per month before tax. This amount is paid irrespective if you are married or not.

    It would be nice if the amount was DKK 13,000.- or even DKK 11,000.- per month. But this is not the case.

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