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Dawn Check at Berlin Schöneberg Shelter Finds Only 2 of 70 Registered Benefit Recipients

Officials now move to trace cases with possible payment suspensions in a wider push on suspected welfare fraud.

Overview

  • Municipal Jobcenter teams conducted an early‑morning, unannounced verification at a former hotel on Fuggerstraße with support from police and Familienkasse staff.
  • Authorities planned to verify 70 people from 19 benefit units but found only two confirmed recipients at the address.
  • Investigators will follow up on each case to confirm actual residence, suspend payments where addresses prove false, and forward suspected offenses to customs or prosecutors.
  • Officials characterized the operation as outreach to reestablish contact rather than a raid, with child‑welfare checks performed where relevant.
  • The building has served as a needs‑based shelter since 2020 and logged 102 police responses between July 2024 and June 2025, with some rooms appearing unoccupied and at least one occupant claiming to be a tourist.