Romanian DIICOT dismantles pension‑fraud network that created fictitious work histories for hundreds

Prosecutors of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) carried out 30 search warrants on 15 July 2026 in Bucharest and seven surrounding counties. The raids targeted homes, offices, companies and a public institution linked to a criminal group that, since 2018, fabricated false employment records in the ANAF tax database. By submitting bogus D112 tax declarations, the group created fictitious work‑history for more than 860 people, allowing them to obtain or increase pensions. Participants paid between 15 000 and 50 000 lei for each fabricated records. The scheme is estimated to have caused a loss of about 7 million lei to the public pension system, a figure that continues to grow as the illegal pensions are still being paid. Seven core members, including two public officials, operated without a formal hierarchy and were supported by up to 13 additional suspects. The operation also uncovered large amounts of cash, euros, data‑storage devices, digital‑signature tokens and a non‑lethal air‑soft weapon seized during the searches.