Amazonas Pensioner Uncovers 30 Years of INSS Wrongful Charges

In the small town of Humaitá, nestled in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, an 84-year-old woman named Lidia Clarinda de Souza recently uncovered a shocking injustice. For nearly three decades, from May 1996 to April 2025, the INSS (Brazilian social security institute) had been deducting money from her pension without her knowledge or consent. Her grandson, Natanael, recounts, "My grandmother never had much schooling; she only learned to write the basics and can barely read." It was Natanael who discovered the unauthorized deductions while helping his grandmother review her pension statements. The deductions began at R$2 per month and escalated to R$30.36 by 2025. This amounts to R$4,194 in unadjusted values. Lidia's pension has always been equivalent to the minimum wage. The case underscores the vulnerability of elderly, illiterate individuals to fraud and administrative errors within the INSS system. The INSS has been recently under scrutiny due to a major fraud scandal, making Lidia's case particularly relevant. Lidia's story serves as a stark reminder of the importance of transparency and accountability in social security systems and the need for better support for vulnerable populations.