Man Jailed for Forging Retrenchment Letters for His Parents to get COVID-19 Support Grants

The Singapore gahmen has been rather generous during the Covid-19 pandemic.

They’re giving out cash payouts, tourism vouchers, and even allowing you to eat meals at the coffee shop without paying for it.

Reader: Uh they’re not doing that last thing

Oh. 

One particular scheme, the Covid-19 support grant, has helped thousands of Singaporeans sustain themselves after losing their jobs as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

You can watch this video to find out more about the different grants available:

But it has also, however, tempted individuals who do not qualify for the grant to take advantage of the gahmen’s generosity.

Man Jailed for Forging Retrenchment Letters for His Parents to get COVID-19 Support Grants

A 43-year-old man was sentenced to three months in jail yesterday (17 Sep) for forging retrenchment letters so his divorced parents could receive the Covid-19 support grant.

The man, Edward Goh, who is unemployed, pleaded guilty to the charges on Thursday, reported CNA.

On 4 May, Goh’s mother, Mdm Tan, was retrenched from her job as a kitchen staff member at a beef noodle stall in an ION Orchard food court.

However, her employer only informed her of the retrenchment verbally, and even paid her a full salary for the month of May, including a CPF contribution.

The 67-year-old would only be presented with an official retrenchment letter in early June.

Goh wanted to help his mother get the grant, even though he knew he needed a retrenchment letter for the application.

So he had two options:

1. Wait a month for his mother’s employer to give her the retrenchment letter
2. Wait a month for his mother’s employer to give her the retrenchment letter

Yes, there were really only two options here.

Unfortunately, Goh decided to forge a retrenchment letter instead, by cropping out a signature of his mother’s employer – from her employment letter – and pasting it on a document he created.

In his application, Goh indicated that his mother had been retrenched on 7 Apr, and stated her last drawn salary was S$1,907 when it was actually S$1,757.50.

Officers from the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) determined that the letter was fraudulent, and did not pay out the proposed $2,400 grant to Mdm Tan.

One can understand Goh’s desire to help his mother, but he did the same thing for his father who wasn’t even retrenched.

Forged Father’s Retrenchment Letter Too

Goh’s father, Mr Goh, had resigned from his job as a cook at a noodle stall on 9 March.

On 14 May, Goh visited his father’s house and helped him apply for the grant, even though he knew his father didn’t possess the necessary documents.

So, he forged a letter from his father’s former employer and used it in the online application, stating that the 68-year-old had been retrenched on 10 March.

This time, his forgery worked. Kind of.

Mr Goh received the first pay-out of S$800, but then MSF determined that the retrenchment letter was fraudulent and suspended the second payment of S$1,600.

Need to Send a “Clear Message to the Public”

In court, prosecutors said Goh’s actions were  “premeditated, sophisticated, and meticulously planned to avoid detection”.

Because he had exploited the Covid-19 pandemic for his parents’ financial benefit, it was necessary to send a “clear message to the public and a deterrent signal to would-be offenders”, that attempts to cheat the Government would be punished.

The 43-year-old has since paid back the $800 his father received.

Goh was jailed for three months, but his sentence could have been as long as ten years, with the addition of a fine.

If you recall, back when the authorities were handing out the Covid-19 temporary relief grants, many people exploited the system, with one person boasting about how easy it was to get it without the necessary documents.

The government is helping us out in this trying time, but let’s not exploit that generosity. There are people out there who need those funds much more than we do.