MOM looking into alleged fraudulent work injury claim by Sumo Salad employee; police investigating owner's death

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is looking into an alleged fraudulent work injury claim made by a worker employed by EatGreen Pte. Ltd, which operates Sumo Salad.

The owner of Sumo Salad passed away after two Facebook posts appeared on her social media account in one day alleging that a former staff of hers carried out a fraudulent workplace injury claim.

The deceased, Jane Lee, a mother of two who owned the salad bar in Holland Village, alleged on Jul. 18 that a former staff had orchestrated a fall to file a false work injury claim.

This occurred just before the woman's employment contract ended.

Lee had also claimed that the couple, likely with the help of a legal firm, had tried the same ruse before.

The firm allegedly advised foreign workers on how to get compensation for workplace injuries.

MOM's response

Following Lee's passing, MOM posted on their Facebook to extend their condolences to Lee’s family and explained that they had been in communication with Lee on the matter.

Investigations are ongoing, they said.

The worker involved was covered under Work Injury Compensation (WIC) Act, they said, adding that they are working with the insurer to assess the validity of the case.

"MOM will not hesitate to take parties found culpable for abusing the WIC system to task. Employers can approach MOM for help if they have concerns over fraudulent claims by their employees," they said.

Staff allegedly exaggerated condition

Lee wrote that she had observed the staff walking and performing daily tasks without difficulty, but exaggerated her condition when she met medical professionals.

Lee also wrote that she had video footage.

Lee wrote: "Based on my observations and information I've gathered, I believe this was a carefully orchestrated scheme."

Small businesses at risk

The couple apparently targeted small businesses without full insurance coverage.

They would allegedly try to get higher payouts if insured by feigning more severe injuries, Lee claimed, writing that "because of an unfortunate gap in our insurance coverage, we are now being targeted by what I believe to be a fraudulent scheme".

Another post by Lee on the same day published two minutes after the first, tagged the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Singapore Police Force (SPF), where she requested the authorities to step in to investigate.

She warned that other small businesses are at risk of being scammed.

The Singapore police also confirmed that investigations are ongoing into Lee's unnatural death.

Top photos via Jane Lee Facebook