Police in Germany are investigating claims that a woman posed as a relative of one of the victims of last month's Germanwings plane crash in order to get free flights to France.
The woman, who has not been named under German privacy laws, pretended to be a cousin of one of the passengers, according to a local newspaper.
She is thought to have made the claim in order to take advantage of free flights to the scene of the crash in the French Alps.
Lufthansa, Germanwings' parent company, provided special flights so relatives could visit the site.
Investigators believe Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot, deliberately crashed the Airbus 320, killing everyone on board.
The woman posed as a cousin of one of the teachers escorting a school party from the town of Haltern on the flight, according to the Halterner Zeitung, a local newspaper.
The deaths of the 16 children and the two teachers who were accompanying them became a focus of grief in the immediate aftermath of the plane crash.
They were returning from an exchange visit with a school in Spain.
The woman's pretence was discovered by the dead teacher's father, among others, the newspaper claimed.
Local police have confirmed that they are investigating the alleged fraud and plan to question the woman. A spokesman for Lufthansa described the incident as a "regrettable isolated case".
The airline was considering legal action against the woman, he told Germany's DPA news agency.
"We are very sorry the victim's family was disturbed in this difficult time in their grief," he said.
Fraud is in every corner
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