Brazil's Federal Revenue blocks R$ 1 billion in maternity benefit fraud

The Brazilian Federal Revenue Service (Receita Federal) has blocked more than R$ 1 billion in suspicious maternity benefit reimbursement requests. The agency identified various fraudulent schemes involving shell companies and organizations that did not meet the legal requirements for benefit compensation.

Investigations involving the cross-referencing of fiscal, social security, and registration data revealed several irregularities. These included companies with near-zero revenue and only one employee requesting high amounts, as well as claims made by insured individuals with no registered children. In one notable instance, an individual microentrepreneur (MEI) in the delivery sector requested R$ 500,000 in maternity benefit reimbursement, a practice not permitted under current legislation.

Auditors also discovered cases where business owners appeared simultaneously as both owners and employees, and instances where a single person claimed benefits from multiple employers within a short timeframe. The agency noted that several companies with minimal turnover shared the same legal representatives, suggesting organized efforts to exploit the system.