Senegalese fraudster arrested in Canada after €1.09m welfare scam

A Senegalese citizen has been arrested in Canada on suspicion of defrauding CAD 180,000 in social benefits. This case trinc his collection of €1.09 million in public allowances in the Basque Country using dozens of false identities.

## The trail of the multi-million fraud

Some people seem to learn nothing from their mistakes. Omar Ndiaye, a 45-year-old Senegalese national, was arrested in Quebec, Canada, accused of defrauding public funds. Canadian authorities estimate this new alleged fraud amounts to approximately CAD 180,000 (around €155,000) and occurred between 2024 and 2026.

Notably, this is not the first time Ndiaye has been involved in a similar scandal. In Spain, he was already under investigation for collecting €1.09 million in public aid from the Basque Country. According to investigators, his method remained the same: using dozens of false identities to access social benefits.

## A network of identities and passports

The investigation in the Basque Country uncovered a substantial scheme. When Ndiaye was first arrested in Bilbao in March 2022, police seized 23 passports and identified 62 false identities. Over a period of approximately 14 years, from 2008 to 2022, he allegedly received these €1.09 million from Basque administrations. Of this amount, about €780,000 came from the Guaranteed Income Minimum (RGI), managed by Lanbide, while another €311,000 was allocated to housing aid.

According to the findings, the system involved opening around thirty bank accounts. Some documents used to create these false identities appear to have been obtained during trips to Senegal, adding another layer of complexity to the fraud.

## The pattern repeats in Canada

His modus operandi was not limited to Spain. The pattern appears to have been replicated in Canadian territory. At the time of his arrest in Quebec in early July, Ndiaye carried a Congolese passport issued to another person but bearing his photograph. Authorities also found another passport at his home belonging to a different individual, with the photo similarly replaced by that of the accused. For these acts, the Quebec Crown Prosecutor charges him with fraud, document forgery, and use of forged documents.

The defense, however, presents a different version, suggesting that another person may have made fraudulent applications using Ndiaye's identity. Despite this, Judge Sonia Mastro Matteo of the Quebec Court decided to keep him in custody due to the high risk of flight, considering he could face a prison sentence of three to five years if convicted. Interestingly, Canada had already rejected three visa or asylum applications submitted by Ndiaye between 2023 and 2025.