The Royal Gendarmerie in Casablanca has successfully dismantled a dangerous criminal organization engaged in banking fraud and the misappropriation of social security benefits. This investigation revealed a sophisticated network that exploited fictitious companies and hundreds of fabricated employees over several years. According to the daily newspaper Assabah, the scandal came to light following a complaint from a woman from a modest background who was denied access to medical coverage because she was falsely registered as an active employee and was allegedly receiving social security benefits without her knowledge.
In-depth investigations conducted by the gendarmes uncovered that the suspects had established a network of fictitious companies since 2019. To lend an air of legitimacy to their illegal activities, the perpetrators recruited intermediaries, including women, impoverished individuals, or the unemployed, persuading them to sign documents under the pretense of being registered with the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) as employees. These individuals were thus falsely listed on company records, allowing the fraudsters to collect family allowances before the supposed employees were conveniently ignored or removed from the system.
After completing this initial phase, the culprits submitted false applications for bank credits amounting to hundreds of millions of dirhams, claiming to finance transactions or acquire luxury vehicles. These vehicles were then sold off to maintain liquidity. To avoid raising suspicion and detection by authorities, the network frequently ceased operations of the concerned company or transferred it to third parties before establishing a new entity to continue their criminal activities. The scale of the fraud extended beyond banking institutions, directly impacting the National Social Security Fund through continuous payments of family allowances based on fictitious employee numbers. This fraudulent disbursement stretched over many years, resulting in substantial monthly financial flows due to the large number of victims manipulated by the network.
The case took a decisive turn when gendarmes utilized technical clues to identify the fictitious company involved and locate its manager. Faced with the investigation's evidence, he initially attempted to deny the allegations until a close associate confessed to the premeditated creation of shell companies intended to defraud banks and misappropriate social funds. Moreover, investigations revealed that the main suspect was subject to twenty-seven outstanding warrants for issuing bad checks.
As reported by fr.le360.ma.
