Belgian welfare centers to hire detectives to combat fraud

Belgium's Public Social Welfare Centers (CPAS) are set to gain a new tool in their fight against social fraud: private investigators. A government project, approved by the Council of Ministers, will allow CPAS to hire external agencies to help verify the financial situations of benefit applicants.

The primary focus of this new measure is to address the challenge of identifying assets and income held by individuals outside of Belgium. While verifying domestic property and rental income is relatively straightforward using existing databases, tracking foreign holdings has proven difficult. Minister of Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt explained that this initiative provides CPAS with an additional avenue to detect potential fraud when serious indications arise.

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These checks on foreign real estate are an essential element of social policy. In a multicultural city like ours, where many residents have ties abroad, this control is indispensable to ensure the fairness of our social assistance.

The investigative agencies will be tasked with gathering targeted information, such as through local registries or land records abroad. This information will then be evaluated by the CPAS social worker, who will ultimately make the final decision on the benefit claim. The CPAS in Antwerp, which has already developed expertise in detecting foreign real estate in social housing cases, will be the first to utilize this new capability. "These checks on foreign real estate are an essential element of social policy," stated Antwerp's social affairs alderman, Nathalie van Baren. "In a multicultural city like ours, where many residents have ties abroad, this control is indispensable to ensure the fairness of our social assistance."

Minister Van Bossuyt emphasized that the new legal framework includes safeguards for privacy, professional secrecy, and data protection. Applicants will retain the right to be heard and to appeal any decisions made.

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It is about targeted checks in cases of concrete indications, contradictory statements, or when someone does not present reliable documents. If there are indications that suggest a person is concealing assets or income derived from them, a CPAS must be able to verify this information.