Potential welfare fraud up to 54% amongst Moroccan families in the Netherlands???

Can it really be that high???

The Social Security Bank (SVB), the organisation that implements national insurance schemes in the Netherlands, will send an inspection team to Egypt next month to check whether the child support received by parents of Egyptian-Dutch kids is legitimate.

The quasi non-governmental organisation reported 124 Egyptian-Dutch kids receive double benefits because they are studying abroad while their parents are still registered in the Netherlands.

The same is true for 144 Moroccan children, while the Moroccan-Dutch community far exceeds the Egyptian. The statistics bureau counts 341,528 first and second generation Moroccan immigrants and 19,976 from Egypt.

All parent who contribute to the social security system in the Netherlands are entitled to child support. Parents whose children live away from home are usually entitled to double benefits.

The SVB recently announced it would impose stricter checks on Moroccan and Turkish families with regard to the double child support. A spot check showed potential fraud with 54 percent of Moroccan and 31 percent of Turkish families.

The SVB will visit all the families to see if the children really live away from home. The question is whether the children really attend school in the country of origin and if they are not in fact living with one of their parents.