It was found that 509 people were caught nationwide for being involved in the illegal receipt of sustainability benefits.



The total amount of damage is about 400 million yen just for the case.

Sustainable benefits will be paid up to 2 million yen for small and medium-sized enterprises and up to 1 million yen for sole proprietors, for businesses whose sales have dropped significantly due to the effects of the new coronavirus.



On the other hand, 509 people have been caught nationwide by the 10th of this month, saying that they were not eligible to receive the benefits and applied for them one after another, and according to the National Police Agency, they were involved in fraudulent activities.



The total amount of damage is about 400 million yen just for the case.



Last month, Keio University students were arrested on suspicion of fraud for instructing fraud, and tax accountants, administrative scriveners, and tax office staff were arrested for misusing their expertise. ..



In many of these cases, it is believed that they were paid in return for preparing the lie tax return and undertaking the application on their behalf.



According to the National Police Agency, consultations such as "I cheated with a light feeling" have been sent to police all over the country, and so far there have been 3,300 cases.



Police officials said, "In many cases, students and office workers are easily and fraudulently involved through SNS and acquaintances. In some cases, organized fraud groups are involved, and we will continue to investigate for detection." is.

The total amount returned to the "illegal received" country is over 10.6 billion yen.

The application for "sustainable benefits" has been closed on the 15th, and the total amount paid so far is approximately 5.5 trillion yen.



On the other hand, the total amount returned to the country for illegal receipt is more than 10.6 billion yen.



The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry says that if you declare and return it yourself, you will not be penalized with additional money, etc., and if you receive it illegally, you are calling for voluntary return.

A woman who self-confessed to the police after "illegal receipt" "really regrets"

A woman in her twenties who returned to the country after receiving the benefits illegally and self-confessed to the police responded to NHK's interview.



A woman lives in Tokyo and was invited by an acquaintance in May last year to say, "If you apply, you can easily get 1 million yen. It's okay because your acquaintance's tax accountant will do it well."



He was not eligible to receive the benefits because he was unemployed and did not run a business, but he explained that he should prepare documents such as a bank passbook and health insurance card.



The procedure was carried out by the introduced tax accountant, and it was easy to do while receiving instructions by exchanging by phone or LINE.



About a month later, 1 million yen was transferred to the woman's account, and 300,000 yen was paid as a commission.



The woman said, "I was lucky to get it so easily. I knew it was fraudulent, but I was introduced by a friend, so I thought I would be okay."



On the other hand, he said, "I was surprised that the examination passed easily. My friend told me that it was okay because the check was sweet."



However, there were a series of cases of being arrested for illegally receiving benefits, and after being persuaded by another acquaintance, he self-confessed to the police, and then returned the illegally received 1 million yen to the country.



The woman said, "I was pointed out by the people around me and finally realized the magnitude of my sin. Looking back, I really regret not having done it."

Lawyer "Self-confidence that can never be hidden"

Mikio Uehara, a former prosecutor who is familiar with fraud cases, said, "In many cases, young people are tempted by others to cheat easily, but fraudulent receipt of sustained benefits is a crime of fraud, and the statutory sentence is 10 years or less. It's imprisonment and a serious crime. "



On top of that, he said, "If you are aware of fraud, you should first come forward and return the benefits you received and give yourself up to the police. If the government investigates, you can never hide it."