Couple took advantage of welfare scheme through repeated marriage and divorce

A couple in Austria carried out a unique welfare scam for more than 40 years. She repeatedly married and divorced and claimed widow pension and compensation. In this scam, a 73-year-old woman received more than $342,000 (about Rs 2.90 crore) as widow pension.

Started from 1981

The scam began in 1981, when a woman started receiving widow pension after the death of her first husband. However, when she remarried in 1982, her widow pension stopped, but instead she received a “severance payment” of $28,405 (about Rs 24 lakh).

The couple took advantage of the loophole of this scheme and kept claiming compensation and pension every time after marriage and divorce.

Divorced for the first time in 1988

After almost six years of marriage, the couple got their first divorce in 1988. She cited husband’s absence and mutual tension as the reason for divorce. After the divorce, the woman’s widow pension was reinstated.

After some time, he married again, due to which the pension stopped. But then he got a compensation of $34,000 (about Rs 28 lakh).

Process of marriage and divorce 12 times

In the last 43 years, this couple married and divorced more than 12 times. Each time the woman would receive widow pension after divorce, while her husband, a lorry driver, would often be away from home for work.

The woman made the record of becoming a bride a total of 13 times.

Government filed suit

In May 2022, when the woman once again claimed pension after divorce, pension fund officials refused to reinstate the pension due to her questionable marital history.

The Supreme Court of Vienna dismissed the case, saying:
“Marrying and divorcing the same person again and again is humiliating. “If the sole purpose of divorce is to obtain a widow’s pension and the marriage was never actually broken, then it is a scam.”

Claims of relatives and neighbors

Relatives and neighbors of the couple say that they never faced separation. They continued to live together even during divorce and marriage and their relationship was happy.

investigation ongoing

Following the court decision, the Styrian State Police Directorate has opened a fraud investigation against the couple. Although the couple claims that they have got divorced for the 12th time, the authorities refuse to accept it.

As of now, they are still legally husband and wife and there doesn’t seem to be any possibility of their divorce in the near future.