3 S'poreans referred to police for allegedly falsifying documents to get Covid-19 Support Grant

They were discovered after background checks were conducted by MSF.

Jason Fan | June 01, 2020, 01:18 PM

Three people who applied for the Covid-19 Support Grant have been referred to the police by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), after it was revealed that they allegedly submitted falsified documents.

Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee announced via a Facebook post on Sunday, May 31, that the police is currently looking into the matter, and that MSF will not hesitate to take action against those who take advantage of assistance schemes.

Fraudulent cases slow down the help provided to those who genuinely need it

In his Facebook post, Lee noted that MSF has received over 50,000 applications for the Covid-19 Support Grant, since applications opened earlier this month.

However, after background checks were conducted, three cases had to be referred to the police.

According to Lee, attempts to defraud the system will slow down help for applicants who genuinely need assistance.

He added that he is aware that some employees or former employees may have difficulty getting documentation, such as official letters from their company, to prove their involuntary job termination, retrenchment, no-pay leave or reduction of income due to the Covid-19 situation.

Lee encouraged these individuals to approach the Social Service Officers (SSOs) from MSF, in order to help verify the details against their past CPF records, and to assist them if they qualify for the grant.

You can see Lee's full post here:

A man previously boasted about fraudulently receiving S$500 of aid from the government

Previously, a Singaporean man was in the spotlight for bragging about receiving S$500 from the government as part of the Temporary Relief Fund (TRF), despite not having any relevant documents to prove his situation.

The man claimed to have worked part-time in the hotel industry doing banquets, and have not been assigned any jobs since January, which was before the Covid-19 situation began to worsen.

Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam later said that the government was looking into these fraudulent TRF claims, and announced that action will be taken against those who cheat the system.

Police soon began investigating the man for possible abuse of the TRF, and he was identified as a 41-year-old Singaporean man.

Soon after, more than 500 people offered to return the S$500 they had received from the TRF, with some claiming that they no longer need the extra support, and some who said that they have submitted incorrect information in their applications.

The returned sum amounts to more than S$250,000.

Individuals must meet certain criteria to be eligible for the Covid-19 Support Grant

The Covid-19 Support Grant is targeted at Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents, aged at least 16 years old, who have been laid off, put on involuntary no-pay leave, or experienced a pay cut of at least 30 per cent for three consecutive months.

To be eligible for the grant, the loss of income or the start on no-pay leave must have occured after Jan. 23, 2020, as a result of Covid-19.

Those who have lost their jobs or have been put on involuntary leave for three consecutive months may receive a monthly cash grant of up to S$800 for three months, while those who have experienced a pay cut of at least 30 per cent for three consecutive months may receive up to S$500 for three months.

This is not to be confused with the Self-Employed Income Relief Scheme (SIRS), which will provide eligible self-employed people to receive three payments of S$3,000 each in May, July and October 2020.

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Top image from Desmond Lee/FB.