An asylum-seeking family in Austria has been ordered to repay €66,457 in welfare benefits after authorities discovered the family possessed significant assets back home in Turkey, including a large vineyard, an apartment in Istanbul, and a significant amount of cryptocurrency.
The case emerged following an inspection at an asylum facility in the Upper Austrian town of Braunau last summer. Officials found that the 37-year-old father of the family owned prime real estate back in Turkey.
As reported by Kronen Zeitung, investigators also uncovered a cryptocurrency wallet containing 1.5 Bitcoins, which were valued at approximately €150,000 at the time.
Upper Austrian authorities responded by immediately terminating the family’s eligibility for basic services. Their accommodation was also revoked, and on July 20, the state issued a formal demand for repayment totaling €66,457. The sum covered basic welfare services, food allowances, health insurance, and accommodation costs provided to the family.
However, the family has contested the repayment demand, and the case is now pending before a court.
“We use all legal means to hold those responsible accountable in cases of social welfare fraud. In this way, we were able to recover approximately €900,000 in misused welfare funds last year — the case is still pending in court, and we are pursuing it rigorously,” said Upper Austrian State Councillor for Integration Christian Dörfel.
The case comes amid broader concerns about welfare fraud in Austria. Last year, it was reported that authorities recorded 4,865 cases of social benefits fraud pertaining to 2024, according to figures from the Social Benefits Fraud Task Force (SOLBE).
Since the agency was established in 2018, investigators say they have uncovered fraudulent claims totaling €135.6 million. Officials estimate that around 70 percent of suspects in these cases are foreign nationals.
“More than 70 percent of the suspects are not Austrian citizens,” said Gerald Tatzgern, head of the department responsible for combating welfare fraud.
One common scheme uncovered by investigators involves couples registering at separate addresses in order to receive higher benefit payments while continuing to live together.
Authorities have cited several high-profile cases. In one example, a Bosnian national received €1,250 per month in Austrian social benefits while simultaneously earning income by renting out multiple properties in his home country. The scheme reportedly cost Austrian taxpayers around €100,000.
In November 2024, a 62-year-old Syrian man went on trial, accused of fraudulently receiving nearly €200,000 in social benefits over a decade.
Prosecutors allege that between August 2014 and January 2024, the man received up to €1,400 per month in minimum income support and health insurance benefits despite allegedly holding Turkish citizenship, which could have affected his eligibility for assistance.
Most welfare fraud cases have been recorded in Vienna, where authorities uncovered 2,626 cases, followed by Lower Austria with 508 cases. Since 2018, the task force has investigated a total of 25,156 suspected cases.
