This involves both suspected cheating and incorrect information. The companies that are stuck in the controls have reported sick pay costs of between SEK 20,000 and SEK 40,000 per month. The companies are active in the restaurant, hotel and taxi industry - businesses that were hit hard by the corona crisis.

- It is mainly about smaller companies where demand has drastically decreased in connection with the pandemic, says Thomas Falk, national coordinator of organized crime at the Social Insurance Office.

Can be reported to the police

In some of the cases that were stopped in the Swedish Social Insurance Agency's checks, employers have corrected the incorrect information, while others have already been rejected and will therefore not receive any compensation. Some of these cases may be reported to the police.

- Some examples are that you did not have any salary payments earlier in the year, but they arise suddenly in April and May. No wages but only sick pay costs. We have also seen that company representatives raised their salaries quite sharply in March before the state took over the cost of sick pay in April, says Thomas Falk.

Replaces sick pay for billions

Between April and July, the Social Insurance Office pays all costs for sick pay. Thus, employers do not have to pay themselves when the employees are on sick leave during the corona crisis. For the month of April, the authority reimbursed just over 75,000 employers' costs for sick pay - an amount of SEK 5 billion. For May, this is about SEK 3 billion.

As a comparison, the compensation for the entire 2019 was just over SEK 1.1 billion, since the Social Insurance Office normally only reimburses employers who have particularly high sick pay costs.

What do you think companies use these opportunities to cheat with tax money?

- We don't like that at all. They are all our taxpayers' money and in this case they should go to those who really need reimbursement for their sick pay costs, says Thomas Falk.