This couple married 12 times to scam the system¡ªuntil it all came crashing down

In a story that sounds straight out of a dark comedy, a couple in Austria spent over four decades playing the system, turning their love story into a financial thriller. Over the years, they raked in more than $342,000 (Rs Three crores twenty-one lakhs) by repeatedly tying and untying the knot, thanks to a clever exploitation of pension loopholes.

The tale began innocently enough in 1981 when the 73-year-old woman received a widow's pension after her first husband passed away. Things took a dramatic turn in 1982 when she remarried. This should have nullified her pension, but the system offered her a ¡°severance payment¡± of $28,405 (Rs Twenty-eight lakhs) as compensation.

Scam turns into a lifetime script

In 1988, the couple initiated their first divorce, citing the husband¡¯s frequent absences as the reason. Post-divorce, her widow¡¯s pension was conveniently reinstated. But when they remarried, the pension disappeared again¡ªonly to be replaced by another hefty payout of $34,000.

And thus began their decade-spanning scam: divorce, remarry, pocket compensation, rinse, repeat. Over the next 43 years, they went through the ritual 12 times, each marriage lasting a strategic three years. All the while, the woman collected her pension after every split, while her husband¡ªsupposedly away as a lorry driver¡ªplayed along.

The kicker? Relatives and neighbors insist the couple never truly separated. They lived together in apparent harmony, their ¡°separations¡± nothing more than legal paperwork.

Game over for the love scammers

The house of cards came crashing down in May 2022, after their latest divorce. When the woman applied to reinstate her widow¡¯s pension, Austrian authorities finally refused, smelling fraud. "The repeated marriage and subsequent divorce from the same spouse is abusive," Austria¡¯s Supreme Court declared, effectively ending their pension charade.

Their cheeky gambit has now earned them a fraud investigation from the Styrian State Police Directorate. Though the couple claims to have divorced for the 12th time, officials refuse to acknowledge it, leaving them legally married and potentially out of tricks.

For a duo who vowed to "stick together" through thick and thin¡ªof the pension plan¡ªit seems their happily-ever-after is now at the mercy of the law.

To stay updated on the stories that are going viral follow Indiatimes Trending.