The Federal Police expanded this Wednesday. The offensive against the scheme of undue discounts applied to retirement and pension benefits from the National Social Security Institute (INSS).The new phase of the investigation targets individuals linked to the administration of entities suspected of participating in the billion-dollar fraud revealed last year.
In total, 31 search and seizure warrants were executed, along with eight precautionary measures involving electronic monitoring authorized by Supreme Court Justice André Mendonça, the case's rapporteur at the Court.
According to the Federal Police, the suspects belong to three distinct groups that operated in São Paulo, Brasília, and Garanhuns.
Investigations indicate that some of the targets were attempting to conceal or transfer assets to avoid future legal measures involving asset seizure and compensation for the victims.
The operation aims to prevent assets from being diverted before any potential civil and criminal liability is imposed on those involved.
💼 MONEY SEIZED | Operation investigates entities and public servants linked to improper deductions from retirement and pension benefits that may have caused losses of R$ 6,3 billion.
— Agenda of Power (@agendadopoder) May 27, 2026
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Entities are the target of the investigation.
In the investigation center in São Paulo, the Federal Police are focusing their inquiries on individuals linked to entities such as Amar Brasil Clube de Benefícios, Master Prev, Andapp, and Aasap.
Meanwhile, in Brasília, investigations are targeting those responsible for Unibap and Abenprev.
In the interior of Pernambuco, the offensive is focused on current and former employees of local INSS (National Social Security Institute) agencies, as well as members of Abapen (Brazilian Association of Penitentiary Agents).
According to investigators, the groups acted in a coordinated manner to apply discounts directly to the paychecks of retirees and pensioners without the beneficiaries' valid authorization.
Authorities suspect that the structure involved financial operators, intermediaries, and individuals linked to the associations themselves.
Investigation revealed billion-dollar scheme.
The scheme began to be revealed in April of last year, when the Federal Police and the Comptroller General of the Union identified irregularities involving unions and associations of retirees.
Investigations revealed that deductions were being automatically made from social security benefits without the beneficiaries' authorization, causing an estimated loss of approximately R$ 6,3 billion.
At the time, the top officials at INSS were removed from their positions under suspicion of involvement or negligence in the face of the fraud.
According to the Comptroller General of the Union, the entities used technical cooperation agreements signed with the INSS itself to obtain authorization for payroll deductions.
Officially, the associations claimed to offer services such as legal assistance, gyms, partnerships, and health plans.
However, audits by the CGU (Brazilian Federal Comptroller General) concluded that many of these entities did not have sufficient operational structure to provide the services promised to retirees.
Retirees were unaware of affiliations.
In several cases investigated, retirees stated that they were unaware they had been associated with the entities.
The deductions were only discovered when beneficiaries checked their INSS (Brazilian National Social Security Institute) payment statements and identified unknown monthly charges.
According to investigators, the individual amounts were often relatively low, making it difficult for victims to immediately notice the irregularities.
On a national scale, however, the repeated collection of these fees has generated billions of dollars in revenue over the years.
Investigations indicate that the scheme spread across different states and reached thousands of retirees and pensioners.
Federal Police investigate concealment of assets.
The new phase of the operation also focuses on the financial and asset transactions of those under investigation.
The Federal Police claim to have identified signs that some of the targets were attempting to transfer assets, empty accounts, or conceal assets to avoid future legal action.
Therefore, in addition to the searches, precautionary measures of electronic monitoring were determined.
The intention is to preserve resources that can be used in the future to compensate the victims of the fraud for the losses they suffered.
Investigators are also searching for documents, bank records, electronic devices, and materials that may help map the financial structure of the scheme.
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