539 Algerian centenarians: this is the number of retired people who are receiving a CNAV pension in Algeria.

Last year it was the Greek authorities who discovered that 8500 retired people over the age of 100 were earning a pension even though the country did not have that many centenarians… This year it is the French authorities who have discovered that many retired people receiving pensions are actually already deceased.

Pension fraud detected by the general retirement authorities (CNAV) reached the sum of 47.5 million Euros last year compared to 25.4 million in 2009, which represents an 87% increase over one year in which: 40% of the detected files were declaration omissions , 40% false declarations and 20% false documents. However this discovery does not mean that there has been an explosion of fraud in one year but only that the French authorities have detected more.

In three years, the number of people working to fight against fiscal fraud in France has increased from around 30 full time employees in 2008 to around 75 in 2011. And the amount of money dedicated to the task has almost doubled to reach 4.9 million Euros: a sum “widely compensated by the 47.5 million Euros saved on fraud”.

The director of the CNAV, Pierre Mayeur, also confirmed that it is hard to control fraud outside of the country, as 1.2 million people living abroad receive a CNAV pension.

So to be sure that these people are still alive, authorities send them a “certificat d’existence” (existence certificate) several times a year, to return signed and stamped by the local authority.

To take control directly outside of the country, the CNAV wishes to sign conventions with local insurance companies registered by the Consulate. A test is to be launched after the summer break in Tunisia where 31 000 retired people benefit from the CNAV pension.