adminfamily in Greece has been arrested for benefit fraud, police said.
The former police officer, divorced and with no children of his own, quit his 1 000-euro-a-month (US$1 300) job in 2001 and has been living solely on benefits ever since, police said yesterday.
Using photographs of children he found online, the 54-year-old man forged birth certificates and other documents needed to claim benefits for at least one child a year since 1996.
He made at least 150 000 euros in claims over 15 years, but the actual amount is probably much higher.
The average Greek family usually has two or three children.
“We have never seen (a scam) like this before,” said a police official who declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the press.
The former policeman was arrested on Wednesday as he was about to collect 8 000 euros in benefits from an Athens branch of Greece’s employment agency OAED. He appeared in court yesterday.- Reuters.
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- June 7, 2026
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