Bodies of deceased relatives hidden for years in pension fraud cases across Europe
Authorities in Greece, Italy and the United Kingdom have uncovered separate cases in which individuals concealed the deaths of elderly parents to continue collecting their pension payments, with one man already sentenced to prison.
A 55-year-old man was arrested in Mystras, southern Greece, after police discovered the body of his 90-year-old father in a freezer, where it had been kept for two and a half years, the Greek news agency Ana reported on Wednesday. The man confessed to hiding the death from natural causes in order to continue receiving his father’s pension, and had initially told investigators that the elderly man had moved to Athens. The body was found in the basement of a closed hotel used as a residence, according to a police statement. The suspect was due to appear before a judge the same day.
In Treviso, Italy, a 50-year-old man was reported by the Guardia di Finanza for collecting his mother’s pension for over a decade after her death, accumulating more than 230,000 euros, Italian media reported. He held a joint bank account with the deceased and failed to notify the national social security institute of her passing. Investigators allege that part of the illicit funds was used to establish a sportswear retail business and pay suppliers, leading to charges of misappropriation and self-money laundering. The prosecutor’s office is now evaluating the seizure of assets.
A British court sentenced Christopher Phillips to two years and four months in prison for preventing the burial of his adoptive mother for three years in order to claim her pension, the Daily Mail reported. Police found the 89-year-old woman’s remains in a freezer in the home they shared, wrapped in a leopard-print blanket, after her doctor raised concerns about her welfare. Phillips had collected approximately 78,000 pounds in payments. His defence argued that he was driven by grief, keeping the freezer in the living room to feel close to her.
The three cases, reported separately by authorities, involve similar concealment of deaths to claim pension income. Investigations are ongoing in Greece and Italy, while Phillips has been sentenced in the United Kingdom.
| Continental European press | −0.60 | critical |
|---|---|---|
| Russian & CIS press | −0.20 | neutral |
| Latin American press | −0.10 | neutral |
| Southeast Asian press | −0.10 | neutral |
Italy condemns the son who defrauded the state, but also calls out a pension system that leaves many struggling.
By placing a local fraud case next to a protest against low pensions, it builds an implicit link between individual crime and systemic failure.
The original Greek case is not mentioned, which would have broadened the geographical scope of the phenomenon.
Russia reports on a British offender, stressing that such cases happen everywhere.
Using a foreign example creates distance and avoids criticism of domestic issues.
The Greek case is not mentioned, which could have shown a more extreme example.
Latin America reports the event without judgment, simply stating that a Greek man hid his father's corpse to collect the pension.
The narration sticks to the facts, avoiding interpretations or generalizations, which reinforces objectivity.
It does not mention the Greek pension context or other similar cases, which would give an isolated view.
Southeast Asian media reports the Greek man's arrest as a routine news item, without embellishment.
By sticking to basic facts and using agency sources, the report presents the event as a routine foreign crime story.
No mention of the Italian or British cases that could provide comparative perspective.
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