Singapore just got its very own version of Money Heist—it’s called the CDC Voucher Heist.
Just kidding, it isn’t a real show, but it is undoubtedly a real occurrence. A man figured out a way to claim CDC vouchers that didn’t belong to him.’
However, he was sentenced to 18 months in jail.
Here’s what you need to know.
18 Months’ Jail for Man who Claimed CDC Vouchers Not Belonging to Him
On Thursday (2 March), a 60-year-old man, Abu Bakar, was sentenced to 18 months’ jail for claiming CDC vouchers that didn’t belong to him.
The 60-year-old faced four charges of theft and one charge of fraud.
He pleaded guilty to two charges of theft and one charge of fraud, with the remaining charges to be considered by the Judge for sentencing.
So, how exactly did he manage to “heist” these CDC vouchers?
Man Used Name of Resident at His Previous Address to Claim CDC Vouchers
Although the 60-year-old currently sleeps at the void deck at Block 82A Circuit Road, he was previously a tenant at a unit located elsewhere.
However, Abu Bakar moved out of the unit in June or July last year.
When the Community Development Council (CDC) began distributing shopping vouchers in January this year, the 60-year-old decided to use the resident’s name at this old address on RedeemSG to claim a $300 CDC voucher.
No unit? No problem.
Out of the $300 worth of CDC vouchers Abu Kabar claimed, he spent $55 on necessities at a Sheng Siong supermarket in the Geylang vicinity.
I don’t think this was what the government was trying to promote in Budget 2023 when they encouraged Singaporeans to be more innovative…
The Wonders of CDC Vouchers… and TikTok
The 60-year-old had watched a TikTok video in December last year regarding the collection of CDC vouchers and got the idea that he was also eligible to collect the vouchers.
Subsequently, he went online to find out more about the CDC vouchers and eventually went to collect them.
Abu Kabar, however, has yet to return the $300 to the CDC.
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The actual owner of the unit only realised that the CDC vouchers had already been collected by Abu Kabar when the owner himself went to collect the vouchers from Boon Lay Community Club on 9 January but was denied.
The owner subsequently lodged a police report.
A Uniquely Singaporean CDC Voucher Heist
This isn’t the first time the CDC vouchers have been misused.
Just two months back, the CDC vouchers belonging to Qazim Karim’s family were mistakenly redeemed by a friend of Karim’s father.
Karim shared the CDC voucher link with his father after redeeming their family’s CDC vouchers.
His 60-year-old father, however, shared the link with a handful of his contacts, not knowing that his contacts can now use the link to claim vouchers.
A tech-savvy nation, indeed.
A friend of Karim’s father eventually used $95 worth of the CDC vouchers.
Well, if it isn’t a uniquely Singaporean problem.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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