Gifu woman held for cashing dead parents' pension for 50 years

Dude. I was BORN in 1965. Since then, I have done a lot of homework, graduated from college, married, created a career, and raised two children. One would think that, during all that time, some bureaucratic entity would have found the time to at least drop by.

Most Japanese civil servants are too busy issuing useless but required documents to do anything of any importance whatsoever.

Now this brought a smile to my face. So much so that it almost should have been categorised as an Entertainment story rather than a crime story.

And love that she has denied any wrongdoing. Classic.

Yes, yes, I know this fraud and all of that. But.... she got away with it for 50 years!? Hats off to her....

Yes, yes, I know this fraud and all of that. But.... she got away with it for 50 years!? Hats off to her....

I gotta agree. At this point, and at her age, cut off the payments and count it up to a mistake. Punishing her will do nothing.

What did she use the money for? Was she living the life of Riley? If she was foolish enough to bank it, maybe the government can recover what they paid her.

What did she use the money for?

For 50 years? Probably for her life.

Strangerland May. 08, 2015 - 04:31PM JST Yes, yes, I know this fraud and all of that. But.... she got away with it for 50 years!? Hats off to her.... I gotta agree. At this point, and at her age, cut off the payments and count it up to a mistake. Punishing her will do nothing.

"I'm not even mad, that's amazing"

Tip of the iceberg methinks.

Given that Japan is known as having the longest average lifespan in the world, I wonder how much of that statistic is attributable to deaths where no death certificate was issued, where people who have passed away are still thought to be alive (although in this particular case death certificates were issued, so I imagine they mother and father were not counted as still alive in calculating Japan's longevity statistics).

In my country, one should go and personally collect their pension each and every month after identifying themselves at the pension distribution office with an ID which has their picture . Of course, they should be accompanied by their carers, if they have some illness and/or disability.

Suzuki has denied any wrongdoing, the officer said.

I believe this is the case.

She reported the deaths of her parents 50 years ago. But the pension officers kept sending money to the bank account. It was the fault of pension officers, not hers.

Shouldn't a cabinet minister resign over this?

Pay it all back.

Much less wrong than the rape of Japan by the LDP vampires.

BTW how about all those "lost" pensions discovered in 2006? Ever found? Ever paid?

Sorry, I hope they file no charges. I like to see the people get the system once in a while.

Your tax yen at work; civil servants with no common sense.

She's 86. They'll have to keep giving her money, but they'll just call it something else.

50 years? Do you think there is a major flaw in the system?

a pension agency official contacted the local authority in Gifu to ask after the health of a woman and her husband. But Gifu officials said both had long since died—and they had been given death certificates in the 1960s.

So the agency has been slacking during 50 years. Ask the persons in charge of this couple's pension file to give back salaries of the last 49 years. All that time, the persons were on the official list of dead, no longer on the lists of residents, of Social Security, of taxpayers. The pension agency had to check more often that once in a century.

Suzuki had been arrested on Thursday for allegedly receiving 2.6 million yen

Already arrested ? That's outrageous. They put in jail a bachan for less than 3 millions she just received by mistake. If that was a politician or a big businessman (for instance my ex boss, or TEPCO's bosses) caught over thousands of millions stolen, taken as bribe or misused, there would be years of investigations or trials before they get handcuffs, if they do.

She already enjoyed the money and maybe she deserved it for taking care of them for those 50 years. You know, for many Asians, the dead are still alive and they have to do special celebrations and daily offerings. It is called ancestor worship". And those altars are not cheap either.

Very smart obachan ...

I did not know that if you check your bank account that they will give you cash!! I know if that you can cash a cheque! But it is correct when quoting a numeral it is written in word form unless the numeral is over ten just like five decades. I think two people wrote this item.

Since 2006, because of the integration through the Juki Net system, when someone dies the information goes to the pension office. But at the time Suzuki's parents died, the family was supposed to notify the pension office. The TV news is saying Suzuki herself worked at the city office and probably figured out how to take advantage of the loophole back in those days when nothing was computerized. She also seems to have filled in and returned the annual forms that are meant to confirm that the person receiving the pension is still alive and at the same address. If that is true it would show real intent to defraud and I would have no problem with her spending the rest of her life in jail. Do wish the authorities had cottoned on to her scheme a good deal faster though.

Really they should of just sweep this under the carpet and stop the payments and be done with it. This make the Pension Office you very stupid. They should just use this information in-house to review protocols and fix up their system.

Following the incident, the health ministry began a nationwide investigation into missing elderly people who were still receiving pensions.

Payments for around 1,700 missing pensioners have been suspended since the probe began.

Apparently they're just now getting around to Gifu. They've been at it for at least four years, you'd think they would have caught this before now. Or maybe they're working from most recent pensioners to the oldest and just now got to people supposedly still alive but drawing pensions back in the 60's? If I were running the investigation, I'd start with the supposedly oldest pensioners and work forwards.

Woe- she fooled 'em all. Pretty savy old gal. But @86, how do ya make the punishment fit the crime?

No one was able to figure out that the parents of an 86 year old may not be alive anymore?

Punishing her will do nothing.

Actually, punishing people is not only to punish them, but also to deter others from doing the same. If they do nothing, others will go "Oh, well then. All I get is a slap on the wrists. Let's go ahead." I know she's old and all that, but it doesn't set a good precedence to just let people off the hook.

This "endless" direct deposit scam is prop still going on as we (speak) comment in this forum. Ironic.

Suzuki has denied any wrongdoing

I can't wait for her excuse.

Old or young, I'm sorry, but she needs to be punished. The rest of us have to work for our money.

So this criminal steals our money and now what? We have to fork out to pay for her healthcare while she fades away unpunished. Disgusting! Any simple check could have prevented this fraud decades ago.

But Gifu officials said both had long since died—and they had been given death certificates in the 1960s

Appears some Government agencies should accept some of the blame for this fiasco. Someone failed to properly file the death certificates to ensure all concerned were aware of the parents' death. However, the daughter is not without blame for continuing to accept and spend the pension payments.

In the Japanese news they state that she used to work for the local city government, and that she probably new how to rig the system. Also, once a year you have to apply for for your pension, to keep it active and she did this for 50 years and now claims her innocence. As I said, take her house, all her possessions and lock her away. I feel bad for all the elderly that have had their pensions cut, by these inconsiderate, selfish people!

Although Suzuki was cashing her parents' pension for 50 years after they had died, she would presumably get away with a light sentence because of the statute of limitations. And the police have a hard time getting more time period to find her guilty. She is really crazy like a fox.

she was making enough off those pensions and her work to get my nicely but was not really rich or it would have attracted attention .....and at her age probably wouldn't get much punishment even if the statute had not already passed

While she is a sneaky sneak, the fact the government had dearth certificates for fifty years yet there apparently is no communication with the pension agency makes it very hard to not to point and laugh. Every other country in the world has been mistakenly sending automated happy 100 year birthday cards to newborns since the mid 90s, while this country is apparently more than satisfied with keeping everything on paper