NEWS

Eye checks catch out fraudulent benefit claimants

Checks by officials from Greece?s main social security fund, IKA-ETAM, have found that the majority of people on Zakynthos who had been claiming disability payments for blindness have no serious problems with their sight.

During checks earlier this year, the fund found that 388 islanders were claiming the benefits.

It asked all these people to submit themselves for new medical checks.

Of those, 167 did not come forward.

Of the remaining 221, only 39, or just under 20 percent, were found to have complications with their sight.

The fund is set to begin legal proceedings to reclaim any benefits that were wrongfully pocketed.

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