The collaboration between the Swedish Pensions Agency and the Swedish Enforcement Authority has borne fruit.
We deepened our collaboration in the spring of 2023, and it has been very successful, says the Swedish Pensions Agency's Director-General Anna Pettersson Westerberg.
Much of the benefits paid out, such as housing supplements and guaranteed pensions, are based on how people have reported their living situation – information that does not always match reality, it turns out.
No one lives there
A common example is that several people live at the same address. It may officially be a single household, but there are more people living there. There may also be assets at the address that have not been reported. It may not even be anyone living at the address despite being registered there, says the National Enforcement Authority's Fredrik Rosengren.
The living situation is very central to housing supplements and guaranteed pensions, says Anna Pettersson Westerberg.
The collaboration has resulted in over 100 cases and 24 million kronor in stopped future payments so far this year, significantly more than in previous years.
These are quite large amounts, and here we also see continued significant potential, says Pettersson Westerberg.
In the field
The Swedish Pensions Agency itself does not have the opportunity to conduct this type of control. They do not have access to fieldworkers.
So, for us to be successful in our control work, we need to seek collaborations on many fronts, she says, also mentioning other collaborations with the Police, the Social Insurance Agency, and the Tax Authority.
The fact that the authorities are now prioritizing welfare fraud to a much greater extent is yielding results, according to Fredrik Rosengren.
Now it is obvious, both from the government's side and from our side, that this is a kind of welfare fraud in a broader sense and a system-threatening phenomenon. Then we must mobilize around this.
Those who receive changed conditions for their pension or benefits related to their pension are required to report this themselves, the agency emphasizes.
The Swedish Enforcement Authority has a similar distance collaboration with the Police Authority, which allows police officers to make seizures directly on site in connection with stopping a criminal person on the street.
All recoveries from general pension, housing supplements, elderly support, and survivor's pension according to the following:
Amount, total recoveries
2021: 110 million kronor
2022: 145 million kronor
2023: 179 million kronor
Total number of recoveries
2021: 3,682
2022: 4,603
2023: 5,103
Of these recoveries above, there are some where the Swedish Pensions Agency suspects fraud and then starts a control investigation.
Number of initiated control investigations:
2021: 1,088
2022: 1,372
2023: 1,546
2024 up to October: approximately 1,800
The control investigations can then lead to police reports.
Number of police reports:
2021: 116
2022: 139
2023: 175
2024: 246 up to October
Source: Swedish Pensions Agency
