IMSS Files 115 Lawsuits Over Modality 40 Pension Fraud Schemes

The Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) has filed 115 legal complaints regarding alleged fraud schemes linked to Modality 40, according to agency director Zoé Robledo Aburto. The announcement was made during the morning press conference held by President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo at the National Palace, where officials detailed how these irregular mechanisms artificially inflated certain retirement payouts.

Following the detection of these irregularities, the institute has established a six-month review period to examine the operations of these mechanisms and determine what further actions might be required. Robledo Aburto explained that the fraudulent schemes involved intermediaries, advisors, and financial institutions offering loans to individuals wishing to cover retroactive contribution periods of up to five years under Modality 40 to boost their eventual pensions.

According to the director, these schemes generated disproportionate increases, with instances where the resulting pension exceeded the beneficiary's final salary by more than one thousand percent. "That is not retirement savings, that means it is a loan that ends up being paid by the Mexican State, those are different things," Robledo stated.

The institute's investigation revealed that the services were primarily promoted through social media platforms, with providers sometimes requesting property deeds and imposing various conditions before issuing loans or executing the requested paperwork. The agency stated that it is permanently working to take down webpages connected to these operations while simultaneously filing legal complaints whenever potential irregularities are identified.

Robledo clarified that the six-month review is not intended to strip workers of their legitimate rights to access Modality 40, but rather to close the door on abuses and frauds that ultimately burden public resources. "It is a way not to close the right, but to close the door to abuses and frauds that all Mexicans end up paying for," he emphasized.

Meanwhile, healthcare workers and dissident groups within the sector have raised separate concerns regarding infrastructure, severe shortages of medications, and working conditions in various hospitals. While the national leadership of the Social Security workers' union and institutional authorities recently formalized a salary adjustment raising compensation components after negotiations, several union factions continue to voice dissatisfaction, pointing to disparities between frontline worker conditions and official administrative salaries.

The ongoing review by the IMSS will continue throughout the designated timeframe, after which the organization will decide if additional regulatory decisions are necessary. Authorities intend to maintain their enforcement actions against unauthorized web pages, advisors, and financial entities allegedly involved in exploiting the public pension system.