The system that was supposed to protect retirees has become a silent machine of exploitation.
And the government that promised to solve the problem... doubled it.
While millions of Brazilians wait for months—and even years—to receive retirement, disability benefits, or pensions, a network of associations acted with complete freedom to deduct amounts directly from the payroll of INSS (Brazilian National Social Security Institute) beneficiaries. The operation No DiscountThe operation, launched by the Federal Police and the Comptroller General's Office, exposed what many already felt in their pockets: the State not only fails to protect—it often participates in the plunder.
🧾 The Scheme: Official Complicity and Institutional Silence
According to the Comptroller General of the Union, More than R$ 6.3 billion were diverted between 2019 and 2024. through improper deductions from the benefits of retirees and pensioners. These deductions were authorized by Technical Cooperation Agreements agreements signed between the INSS (Brazilian National Social Security Institute) and "associative" entities — many of which operate as legalized mafias.
The most shocking fact: 97% of the beneficiaries interviewed stated that they never authorized such deductions.Even so, monthly payments of up to R$ 81.57 were being debited from their pensions month after month.
Among those under investigation are 11 entities and at least six public servants, including the... INSS president, Alessandro Stefanutto, removed from office by the courts. More than were issued 200 search and seizure warrantsand there was asset freeze worth R$ 1 billion.
🕰 The INSS queue: the other side of the disaster.
In 2022, Lula promised that "It would end the INSS (Brazilian Social Security Institute) waiting list.". However, the queue more than doubled during his administration. In April 2023, there were approximately 1 million people waitingBy April 2025, the number will already exceed 2.2 million backlogged applications, according to data from the local authority itself.
Beneficiaries await expert assessments, benefit reviews, and administrative analyses. Many die before receiving a response. Others resort to the courts to obtain what should be a guaranteed right.
Meanwhile, the suspected entities managed to obtain official authorization to deduct directly from payroll. And they achieved this with a speed and efficiency that the average citizen can't even dream of.
🧠 The system's message is clear: if you want to work and contribute, you will be ignored. If you want to steal using a company registration number, you will face a Technical Agreement.
This fraud is not an exception—it reflects the logic of the state. A system that rewards those inside the machine and punishes those outside it. Where those who contribute are treated like cattle and those who operate behind the scenes are treated as partners.
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