Entities used manipulated photos to defraud the biometrics of INSS retirees

Documents from the Comptroller General's Office (CGU) indicate that associations involved in fraud against INSS retirees and pensioners used reproduced and manipulated copies of identity documents to circumvent the agency's required facial biometrics system. The scheme's goal was to validate membership forms without the victims' consent, allowing association discounts on social security benefits.

According to an investigation by the Metrópoles website published this Friday (3) with material obtained by the CGU, copies of black and white IDs, old photos and even artificially colored versions were used, placed in the space designated for current selfies. The practice sought to give an appearance of legality to records that were never authorized by the retirees.

Facial biometrics became mandatory in 2024, following reports of undue benefit deductions. Even so, the CGU (Brazilian State Government) identified electronic platforms used to mask irregularities, also circumventing digital biometric requirements.

The data collected by the CGU indicates, according to the investigation, that technology companies have developed specific tools to create fake records, meeting the demands of entities suspected of participating in the fraudulent scheme.

These companies, he says, were hired by associations that, together, generated billions in discounts. The scheme was dismantled by the Federal Police during Operation Sem Desconto, launched in April of this year . In total, the entities may have transferred R$6.3 billion from the INSS (National Institute of Social Security) between 2019 and 2024.

According to the investigation, part of the benefit payments of nine million retirees and pensioners were diverted to the accounts of suspicious organizations.

Among the documents examined are records linked to an entity that has since been discredited by the institute and is the target of lawsuits and complaints about irregular deductions. On consumer protection platforms, retirees claim to have been victims of unauthorized charges.

The investigation also tracked eight entities that contracted technology services linked to businesspeople investigated in the scheme. These associations alone collected over R$1 billion in discounts on social security benefits.

According to the investigation, some directors had ties to both service providers and the associations themselves, which expanded the scope of the fraud.

The documents also revealed that individuals linked to the payroll loan market and benefit clubs were identified as beneficiaries of the scheme, receiving millions of reais in payments. Some of the funds went to fund election campaigns, according to court documents from the Federal Police.