An organized scam involving the false recognition of paternity is reportedly costing the German state millions of euros and allegedly driving migrant women into prostitution, primarily involving networks from West Africa. The city of Dortmund has emerged as a major flashpoint for this abuse of the system, with one case involving seven men and 122 children, all whom are not their own.
According to an exclusive report by the Welt, authorities have uncovered a widespread fraud involving the seven men. The scheme is used to illegally obtain residence permits and social benefits for the mothers.
The scandal first came to light in 2024 with the case of “Mr. Cash Money,” a naturalized Nigerian from Dortmund named Jonathan A., an extraordinary story Remix News already reported on.
Mr. Cash Money “bragged about banknotes and luxury cars on social media” after he had recognized paternity for 24 children of African women. However, this was not an isolated incident. The responsible Arnsberg district government confirmed to Welt that “there are currently seven fathers known in Dortmund with around 122 paternity recognitions.” They noted that some cases were “still under investigation.”
Dortmund, located in North Rhine-Westphalia, is considered particularly susceptible to this issue. The authorities speak of more than half a dozen similar “family businesses” operating in the city.
The roots of Germany’s problem date back to the 1997 child custody law reform, which was intended to simplify paternity recognition to help children without a known father. The unintended consequence is that the law now “opens doors to abuse,” especially for foreign nationals looking to exploit Germany’s generous welfare system.
As Remix News reported, Mr. Cash Money was earning at least €22,000 a month through his fake claims.
How does the scam work? There are millions — if not billions — of people who want to gain access to Germany and its social benefit system. For those foreigners who obtain citizenship, they can leverage that citizenship to make money by claiming fake paternity of children abroad. Germany already sends hundreds of millions in benefits abroad every year to real children, but increasingly, many of these children are fake.
At the time, Axel Boshame, an immigration official from the Arnsberg district government, said that “the suspected cases of children of mothers from West African countries and countries in the Western Balkans are increasing in (the German state of) North Rhine-Westphalia.”
He specifically points to Jonathan A., aka Mr. Cash Money, saying he assumes “systematic abuse of paternity recognition.”
“Sham paternity is about allowing people who actually have no prospects of staying in Germany to stay in Germany. These people are willing to pay money for this, usually to the person who takes on the fictitious paternity.”
The same issue is playing out in Dortmund. If a German man recognizes paternity, the pregnant migrant woman receives long-term residence rights, and the child becomes a German citizen, thus benefiting the mother. The “father,” who authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia report “collects up to 8,000 euros per case,” does not pay child maintenance. Instead, the state, through the youth welfare offices, “takes over the advance” payments.
Welt reports a distinct “modus operandi” has been established:
First, the migrants spend time in Italy, France or Spain and then enter Germany after pregnancy and then recognition of paternity, either prenatally or after a negative outcome of the asylum procedure or even in the asylum procedure itself.
However, the issue goes beyond mere paternity fraud, but is also morphing into large foreign networks that also focus on prostitution.
The Arnsberg district government highlighted the “Nigeria-Ghana issue,” noting that so-called “brotherhoods”(brotherhoods) in these countries recruit young women with the promise of a “lucrative job in Europe.” The grim reality is that they are “then forced into prostitution in Libya, France, Italy or Spain to pay off the travel money.” Upon becoming pregnant, they enter Germany, and a contact person handles the fraudulent paternity recognition.
The annual maintenance costs for the 122 children and mothers in Dortmund are estimated by the district government to be in a “mid-seven-figure euro range.”
In essence, it is just more German taxpayer money flowing into fraudulent operations that exploit women and children.
While reliable nationwide numbers are difficult to ascertain, the financial impact is significant. In 2017, the Ministry of the Interior estimated the cases of abuse nationwide at a “middle four-digit number.” In 2024, RBB reported that with 5,000 suspected cases, “the burden on taxpayers is 150,783,000 euros annually.” However, a BMI survey from 2018 to 2021 identified only 290 confirmed cases from 1,769 suspicious events.
Law professor Harald Dörig, an advisor to the Bundestag, is skeptical of the official figures. He criticized: “It doesn’t surprise me that the BMI survey only showed a small number of cases. Rather, it makes it clear that the majority of cases of abuse remain hidden from the authorities.”
A new law is being sought to address the loopholes. A draft from the former ‘traffic light government’ failed in the Bundestag in April 2024, but a new one is expected soon. Dörig remains critical of certain proposed solutions, such as a rule that a six-month “joint budget” excludes abuse. He states that “As the head of a large immigration authority reported to me, those affected are already claiming this in the form when they submit their application.”
