The private investigation sector in Spain has found allegedly fraudulent sick leaves to be one of its main areas of activity. More and more companies are turning to private detectives when they suspect that an employee has obtained a temporary disability through falsehoods with the goal of collecting pay without working. According to the data provided, in 90% of cases, the companies’ suspicions are confirmed.
According to La Sociedad Clave, a forum of private detectives, sick leaves in Spain have increased by approximately 85% since the COVID-19 pandemic. This situation is generating annual losses of around 29 billion euros. The entity notes that each day 1.56 million people are absent from their jobs. Within this volume, a portion would correspond to fraudulent leaves: employees who obtain temporary disability based on false information to continue collecting wages without performing their work.
When a company suspects that an employee is making fraudulent use of sick leave, it cannot proceed directly to dismissal without evidence. Otherwise, the termination could be declared unfair. If this happens, in most situations, the dismissed employee can choose between receiving a high severance, calculated according to years worked, or being reinstated in the company.
For this reason, many companies opt to hire private detectives who can verify whether the sick leave is truly fraudulent. This type of investigation can prevent compensation payments ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 euros. Insurance companies collaborating with Social Security also commonly use these services to detect possible irregularities.
In this context, La Sociedad Clave predicts that by 2026 there will be close to 10 million temporary disabilities, representing an increase of almost 7% compared to 2024. According to the industry, this trend reflects a rising curve of people requesting or maintaining leaves without a real need. The group that has grown the most is under 35, with a 67% increase since the pandemic. Additionally, sick leaves are increasingly prolonged: they have gone from an average of 40 days to 46 in recent years.
Private investigation professionals distinguish several profiles of fraudsters. On one hand, there are people who are initially on leave but try to extend the situation as much as possible, citing certain ailments. On the other, there are employees who use the leave to perform another job, often receiving under-the-table pay. Sick leaves for psychological reasons are, according to these experts, the most difficult to prove.
A private investigator shared with Libertad Digital a recent case of this latter profile. It involved a young woman working as a secretary who had requested sick leave for depression. Her boss began to suspect after another employee, following her on social media, commented that the secretary was posting content showing she was traveling and apparently “very happy” with her partner.
The company hired a private investigator, who was able to prove the leave was fraudulent. Surveillance showed that the employee maintained a “very active” life and also provided evidence that several nights a week she worked in a bar to earn extra income. She was not officially registered at this establishment, but according to the investigator’s account, it was evident she was working there and being paid under the table, as she spent the nights “serving drinks at the bar.”
Beyond sick leaves, companies also hire private detectives for other internal conflicts. A businesswoman explained to the same outlet how she was able to justify the lawful dismissal of an employee who was trying to damage the reputation of her clothing store.
In this case, the employee was not on leave, but her son had a similar store. When customers entered and the opportunity arose, the employee told them that the clothing at the store where she worked was fake and of poor quality. She also claimed the owners treated her badly and, once she had built empathy with the buyers, she recommended visiting her son’s business.
After hiring a private investigator, several people posed as clients. This allowed the owners to demonstrate that the employee repeated this behavior habitually.
