The naivety of the PAP government

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Jail for man involved in scheme linked to bogus sales transactions of over $240m​

Feb 17, 2025

SINGAPORE – A man, who was part of a syndicated missing trader fraud (MTF) scheme, falsified 704 sales invoices linked to a wholesale trading firm, reflecting fictitious sales transactions totalling more than $240 million.

Tan Tuan Heng, 46, was the sole director and shareholder of Brillantec Solutions (BSPL) at the time of the offences.

With the falsified sales invoices, BSPL made tax claims of over $16 million, leading to more than $191,000 in refunds.

The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) has withheld claims linked to the remaining amount.

Separately, Tan submitted 11 goods and services tax (GST) monthly returns between October 2012 and October 2013, based on fictitious sales transactions supported by forged supplier invoices and falsified BSPL invoices.

The Singaporean falsely claimed nearly $480,000 in taxes for the period, and received the amount in refunds.

On Feb 17, Tan was sentenced to 11 years and six months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to nine charges for offences including cheating and those linked to GST-linked crimes.

The prosecution stated in court documents that BSPL was incorporated in September 2011.

In 2012, Tan faced financial difficulties and hatched a plan to make fraudulent GST claims based on fictitious sales transactions.


Among other things, he claimed taxes from Iras for the purported sale transactions to overseas customers between October 2012 and October 2013.

The goods in these transactions purportedly came from three suppliers.

In reality, BSPL did not purchase the goods from the suppliers or sell them to the overseas customers.

BSPL’s tax agent later filed 11 GST monthly returns that included fictitious sales transactions.

As a result, Iras paid BSPL nearly $480,000 in tax refunds and Tan used his ill-gotten gains to settle his debts and personal expenses.

The prosecutors said that BSPL was required to file GST returns on a monthly basis and was liable for GST on taxable supplies made to its customers.


The firm must also pay taxes to Iras on a monthly basis when it filed its GST returns.

Between October 2012 and January 2014, BSPL made false entries in its GST returns, leading to undercharged taxes totalling more than $4.2 million.

In addition, Tan was involved in an MTF scheme between June 2013 and June 2014.

The prosecutors said that Trinh Tien Dung, a Vietnamese, and Luke Giam Zi Hin, a 41-year-old Singaporean, were masterminds of the scheme.

It made use of taxation schemes, such as GST, by exploiting the system of self-declaration.

Overall, fraudulent input tax claims amounting to about $16 million were submitted to Iras, leading to more than $191,000 in refunds.

Between June 2013 and June 2014, Tan was part of a group that conducted BSPL’s business for a fraudulent purpose.

He received a total commission of between $360,000 and $480,000.

In an unrelated case, Tan was a sales manager at Techtiq when he hatched a plan to cheat the firm.

With the use of items such as forged purchase orders, Techtiq’s account staff made payments of more than US$457,000 (S$613,000) and over $256,000 to another company’s bank accounts in March and April 2018.

Tan then received some US$455,000 and around $255,000 after the director of the other firm deducted a 0.5 per cent commission for the ruse.

 

[True Believer]

Any S'pore ministers foolish enough to sign away 650,000
jobs to unemployed Indians are clowns.

 

[True Believer]

Retrenchments for S'porean PMEs young and old. Blame the 65% who voted to be sodomised.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Singaporean's home address illegally changed by scammers via ICA service, triggering banking nightmare​

In December, Raymond Tan discovered that his home address had been changed without his knowledge. His Singpass account was then frozen, disrupting his access to essential government services.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) Building in Singapore.

18 Feb 2025

SINGAPORE: A rude shock followed by worries and frustration – 2025 has so far been an emotional rollercoaster for Mr Raymond Tan after he discovered that his home address registered with the authorities was changed without his knowledge.

The Singaporean is one of 71 people whose addresses were illegally altered by scammers via the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s (ICA) electronic service.

Parts of this e-service have been halted since Jan 11 so ICA can roll out further security measures. Authorities have also suspended the Singpass accounts of all affected individuals.

For Mr Tan, who is in his forties, the knowledge that his personal details in a government system can be accessed and changed by fraudulent actors has been unnerving.

While the suspension of his Singpass account has caused inconveniences, the biggest shock came when his personal bank accounts were nearly shut down.

“It has not been a peaceful start to the new year,” Mr Tan told CNA in an interview on Wednesday (Feb 12).

Mr Tan first realised something was amiss on Dec 30 while purchasing travel insurance at the airport.

Using MyInfo, a digital service that auto-fills forms with government-stored data, he noticed his home address had been changed to an unfamiliar Housing Board unit in Commonwealth Drive.

“I called Singpass immediately. They said they didn’t know what happened, but they gave me the option to freeze my Singpass. Of course, I did that,” he recounted.

Fearing further unauthorised access, he agreed to additional security measures requiring a video call for his Singpass account to be reinstated.

Still, even while on holiday, questions lingered in his mind.

“I was thinking if it means that my account had been compromised and if so, how long has it been and what else is affected,” Mr Tan said.

“I checked everything else, like the history of my Singpass transactions and my banking apps, and they seemed okay. So I told myself maybe it’s just a glitch and not something bad.”

But his fears were confirmed on Jan 11 when ICA disclosed that scammers had exploited vulnerabilities in its online service to alter residential addresses.

Mr Tan has since been issued a new identity card.

While he understands the need for his Singpass account to remain suspended during investigations, the situation has caused some disruptions. Without Singpass – an authenticator for various public and private sector digital services – he could not retrieve documents needed for his domestic helper's six-monthly medical examination.

He also could not proceed with his appointment as a donee in his father-in-law's Lasting Power of Attorney. An LPA is a legal document that allows individuals to appoint others to make decisions on their behalf if they become mentally incapacitated.

“Things like these are quite time-sensitive, especially with my father-in-law's advanced age … But I was told by the officer-in-charge that there’s no offline option to do this without my Singpass,” said Mr Tan.

To add to his stress, he discovered that his personal bank accounts at CIMB and OCBC had been put under review.

On Jan 27, he could not log into CIMB's internet banking service. His brother was also unable to access their joint account. Though resolved the next day, no explanation was provided as to why the review was initiated.

Two days later, in the midst of Chinese New Year celebrations, Mr Tan found that he could not transfer funds to his OCBC savings account. A call to the bank revealed that all his accounts, including joint accounts with his children, had been under review since Jan 20.

The biggest shock came on Feb 3 when letters from OCBC arrived saying that his accounts would be closed within 14 days due to “a change in the profile and/or activities”.

“We regret to inform you that we can therefore no longer provide products and/or services to you,” the OCBC letters said.

Frustrated, he pressed the bank for an explanation but received none.

“If this is due to the address issue, the bank can make it more troublesome for me, like requiring me to go down in person for transactions as a temporary measure, and that’s okay. But to suddenly want to close my and my children’s accounts without an explanation, I felt quite bullied,” he said.

OCBC eventually reversed its decision, informing Mr Tan last Thursday that his accounts would not be closed.

In response to CNA’s queries, OCBC said it reviews customers’ accounts for risk management purposes, sometimes leading to closures due to suspicious activities or law enforcement requests.

Generally, when an account is flagged as suspicious, the bank immediately places a hold on it to prevent potential misuse or to protect customers from unauthorised and fraudulent transactions, said Mr Beaver Chua, head of anti-fraud at OCBC’s group financial crime compliance.

This hold is followed by a thorough review to ensure accuracy. During this process, the bank cannot disclose specific details as doing so could compromise the investigation.

“Once the review is completed and a customer’s account is found to be compliant, we will release the hold on the account. Otherwise, the account will be closed if it is found to be suspicious or misused by bad actors,” said Mr Chua.

Similarly, CIMB said it takes a proactive approach to combating scams by working with regulatory authorities and law enforcement agencies.

“By implementing enhanced security measures swiftly, we remain committed to protecting our customers’ bank accounts,” a spokesperson said.

Authorities said scammers exploited an “Others” option in ICA’s online service, which allowed address changes through a proxy. The process required a Singpass login, the applicant's NRIC number and date of issue, and a verification PIN mailed to the new address.

The scammers used "relinquished" Singpass accounts to impersonate proxies and fraudulently change victims' addresses, said Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling in a parliamentary update earlier this month.

She also said that ICA’s change of address e-service, launched in 2020, included safeguards such as requiring the NRIC's date of issue. However, these measures have proven inadequate as malicious actors managed to get hold of the information.

Mr Tan speculates that his NRIC details may have been compromised through common practices such as exchanging IDs for building entry passes or submitting photocopies for major purchases such as cars.

“Until the incident happened, I don't think anybody really thought that the IC’s date of issue is so important,” he said.

Even after resolving his banking issues, Mr Tan remains on guard. Just last week, he received a notification from an insurer about a change in his contact details – which triggered a flurry of calls and emails before the insurer confirmed it was "a glitch".

He continues to worry about how much of his personal information is in the hands of scammers and the impact this could have on him and his family.

“If this person was able to change my address, did he also get into other parts of my account? If he has all my information, what will he do with it? Can he masquerade as me?” he said with a sigh.

“At this point, I will say that I feel quite helpless. It seems like there's nothing much I can do.”

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Jail for man who cheated govt agency Workforce Singapore of over $70k in funds for upskilling​

Mar 12, 2025

SINGAPORE - A partner of a firm that developed computer games hatched a plan to cheat Workforce Singapore (WSG) of more than $70,000 in total by making fraudulent claims for funds supporting workers’ upskilling and reskilling.

Chan Ah Wee, 56, who was with a company called Common Extract at the time of the offences, was sentenced to a year and four months’ jail on March 12 after he pleaded guilty to a cheating charge linked to over $31,000.

Two other charges relating to the remaining amount were considered during his sentencing.

The Singaporean has since made full restitution.

In mid-2017, Common Extract engaged a man, identified as Mr Tiong Ming Huat, as a project manager on a trial basis for a period of one month.

The firm later employed him as a manager from July 2017 to June 2018.

Common Extract applied for Mr Tiong to join an initiative known as the Professional Conversion Programme offered by WSG, a statutory board under the Ministry of Manpower.

The scheme is among WSG’s programmes targeted at professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) to undergo skill conversion, so they can move into new jobs or sectors that have good opportunities for progression.

Funding support is provided to participating employers as long as they and the interested PMETs meet the eligibility criteria. The participating employers will then fund the remaining salary and course fees not covered by the funding support.

To receive the funding, Common Extract signed a Letter of Undertaking with an educational institution called Lithan Academy, which had been appointed by WSG to manage the scheme.

On or around June 20, 2017, Chan decided to deceive WSG by falsely stating that Mr Tiong’s monthly salary was $5,800, submitting to Lithan Academy letters including those showing Mr Tiong’s purported monthly salary.

In fact, Mr Tiong’s salary as stated in his employment contract was $2,500, and he had been paid less than that because of Common Extract’s poor financial performance.

DPP Chua said Chan had created these documents and Mr Tiong agreed to them.

Court documents did not disclose if Mr Tiong has been charged in court or if he had been dealt with earlier.

He was later accepted into the Professional Conversion Programme which was initially slated to start in July 2017 before it was postponed to September that year.

In January 2018, Mr Tiong resigned from Common Extract, but continued to perform work for it on an ad hoc basis.

The prosecutor said Chan failed to inform Lithan Academy and WSG about these developments.

Between February and July 2018, WSG was duped into a delivering a grant of over $31,000 to Common Extract.

WSG later found discrepancies between one of the letters Chan had submitted and Mr Tiong’s Central Provident Fund statement.

A WSG senior manager alerted the police in May 2020, and Chan was charged in court in 2023.

For cheating, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

 

[birdie69]

Jail for man who cheated govt agency Workforce Singapore of over $70k in funds for upskilling​

Mar 12, 2025

SINGAPORE - A partner of a firm that developed computer games hatched a plan to cheat Workforce Singapore (WSG) of more than $70,000 in total by making fraudulent claims for funds supporting workers’ upskilling and reskilling.

Chan Ah Wee, 56, who was with a company called Common Extract at the time of the offences, was sentenced to a year and four months’ jail on March 12 after he pleaded guilty to a cheating charge linked to over $31,000.

Two other charges relating to the remaining amount were considered during his sentencing.

The Singaporean has since made full restitution.

In mid-2017, Common Extract engaged a man, identified as Mr Tiong Ming Huat, as a project manager on a trial basis for a period of one month.

The firm later employed him as a manager from July 2017 to June 2018.

Common Extract applied for Mr Tiong to join an initiative known as the Professional Conversion Programme offered by WSG, a statutory board under the Ministry of Manpower.

The scheme is among WSG’s programmes targeted at professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) to undergo skill conversion, so they can move into new jobs or sectors that have good opportunities for progression.

Funding support is provided to participating employers as long as they and the interested PMETs meet the eligibility criteria. The participating employers will then fund the remaining salary and course fees not covered by the funding support.

To receive the funding, Common Extract signed a Letter of Undertaking with an educational institution called Lithan Academy, which had been appointed by WSG to manage the scheme.

On or around June 20, 2017, Chan decided to deceive WSG by falsely stating that Mr Tiong’s monthly salary was $5,800, submitting to Lithan Academy letters including those showing Mr Tiong’s purported monthly salary.

In fact, Mr Tiong’s salary as stated in his employment contract was $2,500, and he had been paid less than that because of Common Extract’s poor financial performance.

DPP Chua said Chan had created these documents and Mr Tiong agreed to them.

Court documents did not disclose if Mr Tiong has been charged in court or if he had been dealt with earlier.

He was later accepted into the Professional Conversion Programme which was initially slated to start in July 2017 before it was postponed to September that year.

In January 2018, Mr Tiong resigned from Common Extract, but continued to perform work for it on an ad hoc basis.

The prosecutor said Chan failed to inform Lithan Academy and WSG about these developments.

Between February and July 2018, WSG was duped into a delivering a grant of over $31,000 to Common Extract.

WSG later found discrepancies between one of the letters Chan had submitted and Mr Tiong’s Central Provident Fund statement.

A WSG senior manager alerted the police in May 2020, and Chan was charged in court in 2023.

For cheating, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

This is just a tip of the iceberg, there are many many mediocre training service providers overpriced their courses, just want to make money from Sinkie's skill future fund

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Company director tricked Tampines Town Council into paying extra $233,000 for pumps​

Apr 03, 2025

SINGAPORE – A company director has admitted to billing Tampines Town Council to pay for a more expensive product instead of the actual product he had provided.

Zhang Shuyan, the Singaporean managing director of electrical and mechanical maintenance and installation firm FYH Integrated, pleaded guilty on April 3 to one charge of falsifying accounts to the town council.

One similar charge will be taken into consideration during his sentencing on April 17.

Company records show the 59-year-old and his wife had incorporated the firm in 2009 with $500,000.

The company, which is currently in liquidation due to insolvency, entered into a three-year contract with Tampines Town Council in February 2016.

FYH was responsible for the maintenance, servicing and repair of pumps within the Housing Board blocks under the town council’s purview. It was also contracted to replace defective pumps within the HDB blocks.

The contract included a schedule of rates, with a list of items and their corresponding prices, that FYH would bill the town council for.

Between April 2016 and July 2017, Zhang’s firm replaced 267 single-stage pumps within the Tampines estate. Single-stage pumps were not listed under the agreed schedule of rates.

The court heard that Zhang billed the products as multi-stage pumps which, according to court documents, cost $1,425.28 each, compared with a single-stage pump that cost $549.98.

The town council received 203 invoices for the replacement of the pumps and paid more than $380,000 to FYH.

Zhang’s scheme came to light some time in 2017, after the town council’s managing agent realised FYH had been charging it for multi-stage pumps even though only single-stage pumps were used.

After he was found out, Zhang agreed to refund the extra amount that the town council had paid out to his company, which was more than $233,000. He fully repaid the amount over a period of nine months.

Those found guilty of falsifying accounts can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined for each charge.

 

[Boonsiong]

Guess the race ?

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

3 weeks’ jail for man who tricked Tampines Town Council into paying extra $233,000 for water pumps​

Zhang Shuyan was the managing director of electrical and mechanical maintenance and installation firm FYH Integrated at the time of the offence.

May 13, 2025

SINGAPORE – A man who billed Tampines Town Council for more expensive products instead of the actual items he provided, tricking it into paying an extra $233,000 for water pumps, was sentenced to three weeks’ jail on May 13.

Zhang Shuyan, 59, who was managing director of electrical and mechanical maintenance and installation firm FYH Integrated at the time of the offence,

pleaded guilty in April to one count of falsifying accounts to the town council.

Before handing down the sentence on May 13, District Judge Kenneth Chin noted that the Singaporean had made full restitution and paid the bulk of it before he was charged.

However, the judge stressed that Zhang’s case involved public funds and that he committed the offence over a sustained period of a year.

Deputy public prosecutors David Koh and Yeow Xuan stated in court documents that the offender and his wife incorporated the firm in 2009 with $500,000.

It later entered into a three-year contract with Tampines Town Council in February 2016 for jobs related to pumps and refuse chute flushing systems.

FYH was responsible for the maintenance, servicing and repair of pumps in the Housing Board blocks within the town council’s purview. It was also contracted to replace defective pumps in the HDB blocks.

The contract included a schedule of rates, with a list of items and their corresponding prices, that FYH would bill the town council for.

Between April 2016 and July 2017, Zhang’s firm replaced 267 single-stage water pumps in the Tampines estate. But Zhang billed the products as multi-stage water pumps that cost more than $1,400 each, compared with a single-stage pump that cost around $550.

The town council received 203 invoices for the replacement of the pumps and paid more than $380,000 to FYH.

Zhang’s scheme came to light in 2017, after the town council’s managing agent realised FYH had been charging it for multi-stage pumps even though only single-stage pumps were used.

After he was found out, Zhang agreed to refund the extra amount that the town council had paid out to his company, which was more than $233,000.

He was later charged in 2024.

Offenders found guilty of falsifying accounts can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Two construction firms fined $4.6m for rigging tender bids to upgrade community clubs​

Trust-Build Engineering and Construction (left) and Hunan Fengtian Construction Group Co had rigged bids for three tenders in 2022 for upgrading works in the Bukit Batok, Cheng San and Eunos Community Clubs.

May 23, 2025


SINGAPORE – Two construction firms have been fined a total of $4.6 million by the competition watchdog for rigging bids in tenders called by the People’s Association (PA).

The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) said on May 23 that Trust-Build Engineering and Construction and Hunan Fengtian Construction Group Co had rigged bids for three tenders in 2022 for upgrading works in the Bukit Batok, Cheng San and Eunos community clubs.

The tenders had a total value of around $56 million. They were for major upgrading works that included repair works, piling and scaffolding.


CCCS’ investigations, which began in July 2023, found that both companies colluded on their bid prices and tender submissions, giving one of them – Trust-Build – a better chance at winning the projects. Hunan Fengtian had prepared Trust-Build’s tender submissions and proposed its bid prices for each of PA’s tenders, CCCS said. Trust-Build’s bid prices were lower than Hunan Fengtian’s to make the former’s bids appear more attractive.

PA had noticed that similar words, diagrams and photos were used in the tender submissions from the two companies before the tenders were awarded, and reported the matter to CCCS.

“CCCS found that the bid-rigging conduct eliminated the competitive pressure between the parties to submit their best offers to PA, even though none of the PA tenders were awarded to either of the parties,” said the competition watchdog. “Such bid-rigging conduct has the potential to give the false impression that the bids received from the parties were genuine and competitive.”

At the time, the two firms were able to undertake high-value construction contracts – up to $50 million for Hunan Fengtian and $105 million for Trust-Build.

On May 23, Trust-Build was fined $4.29 million, while Hunan Fengtian was fined $349,350.

In a media briefing on May 23, Mr Caleb Tan, deputy director of legal and enforcement at CCCS, explained that the difference in fines for the two firms was because the penalties took into account the turnover of the company in the year the infringement took place as well as the year the infringement decision was issued.


“The absolute figure doesn’t indicate the relative seriousness or culpability of the parties,” he said.

An Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority search showed that Trust-Build is a local company, while Hunan Fengtian is a Chinese firm registered in Singapore.

Mr Tan, who was the team lead for the investigation, said that representatives of the firms had met at a conference and remained in touch.

Hunan Fengtian had intended to wind down its business in Singapore, and its general manager, Mr Xing Hongyun, agreed to help Trust-Build in this scheme as a means to get future business for his own company, Mr Tan said.

The director of Trust-Build, Mr Wang Jian Jun, also wanted to learn from Hunan Fengtian’s experience in bidding for public tenders, added Mr Tan.

CCCS had obtained WhatsApp messages between Mr Xing and Mr Wang, who are both Singapore citizens, that showed them discussing the bid prices they would submit.


In one instance in October 2022, Mr Wang asked what if they were awarded two tenders. In response, Mr Xing said: “PA can award three projects, what do you worry? You and me have two companies, can do two projects same time.”

In October 2024, both companies were issued legal notices, known as proposed infringement decisions, by the competition watchdog. They were able to make individual representations or provide other information in support of their case.

CCCS said it had received written representations from each firm and took these into consideration in deciding to issue the infringement decision.

Asked if the firms will face additional penalties from the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), a spokeswoman for the authority said it is looking into the matter. “BCA reserves the right to remove or suspend the firm’s registration in BCA’s Contractors Registration System,” she said, referring to the system that allows businesses to tender for government projects.

Trust-Build senior adviser Chia Chung Mun said in response to The Straits Times’ queries that the firm has discussed the CCCS’ decision with its lawyers and they would lodge an appeal. But he declined to say more as it might prejudice the appeal. “We count professionalism and integrity as part of our core values, so the CCCS’ decision is a disappointment for us,” he said.

ST has also reached out to Hunan Fengtian for comment.

Bukit Batok Community Club’s tender was eventually awarded at $17.59 million, while Cheng San’s was awarded at $21 million, CCCS had said in October.

The tender for Eunos Community Club was discontinued for reasons unrelated to this case. The club, which had been closed since August 2022, is slated to open by the end of 2025.

CCCS chief executive Alvin Koh said it will continue to take a more active enforcement stance, and take decisive and firm action against businesses that are found to have engaged in anti-competitive conduct.

“In the context of public procurement where public funds are used, taxpayers are the ones who ultimately pay the price of such infringing conduct,” he said.

Mr Koh added that CCCS offers a leniency programme for businesses currently involved in anti-competitive agreements. If these businesses come forward with information about such agreements, they can receive a full waiver or substantial reduction in financial penalties.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

MOM investigating alleged misuse of work passes meant for foreign students and trainees​

MOM said some of the probes surrounding breaches of the pass requirements have already been completed, with more to come.

Jun 06, 2025

SINGAPORE – Investigations are under way into what a support group for migrant workers brands a “job scam” centred on misuse of work passes.

Training Employment Passes give foreign students and intra-corporate trainees the right to work here for three months, but they have allegedly been used to employ foreign workers in lower-skilled roles not allowed under the pass.

Some of the probes surrounding breaches of the pass requirements have already been completed, with more to come, noted the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on June 6. It did not disclose how many reports it had received.

The pass allows foreign students or trainees from a company’s overseas office or subsidiary to undergo practical training for professional, managerial, executive or specialist jobs here for up to three months. Trainees must earn a minimum fixed salary of $3,000 a month.

The work attachment for student applicants must be tied to their studies. They must either be studying in an “acceptable institution” or earning at least $3,000 a month.

The investigation comes after 13 TEP holders sought help in recent months from advocacy group Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2).

They were hired by employers to take up various roles with a lower skill level than the pass appears to allow.

Five of the 13 were put to work in a food and beverage establishment, five in a warehouse and two in cleaning companies, while one ended up in a “tour coach agency”, TWC2 said on its website in May.

The 13 people had turned to TWC2 over a period of about five months starting in December 2024.


“We have never before seen so many workers on this kind of work pass in such a short time,” TWC2 said.

The group added that nearly all the 13 complained about salary irregularities, including being paid below the $3,000 stated minimum, though at least one found long working hours to be the biggest problem.

“However, when we found out more about the circumstances which led to their working in Singapore, we could see the contours of a rapidly widening job scam,” TWC2 noted.

The workers had been designated as “management executives” despite performing menial tasks such as washing dishes, it added.

They were often not sent to the MOM to have their TEP issued until nearly 30 days after arrival, effectively meaning they worked an additional fourth month without a pass being issued.

TWC2 executive director Ethan Guo told The Straits Times that a common feature was that most of the workers were coming to work for the first time in Singapore and had arrived relatively recently.


“This showed that these were young, impressionable and vulnerable foreigners with little or no knowledge of employment laws in Singapore,” Mr Guo noted.

He added that the group could not confirm if there has been a sudden uptick in the number of TEP holders reporting salary irregularities.

“What has happened of late was a concerted effort by TWC2 to educate migrant workers on the correct payment of their salaries, and this could have resulted in more workers with such problems coming forward to seek help from us,” he said.

There may have been many more victims in the past who did not realise they have been scammed, or did not have an avenue for assistance.

Mr Guo said TWC2’s concern lies with workers who have been misled into jobs they paid huge sums to agents for and then put into “legal jeopardy once they agree”.

He noted that the attempts to dodge the TEP requirements may have arisen as a work-around for industries “desperate for cheap foreign labour”.

“A more holistic response would be a review of work permit quotas for these industry sectors like logistics, cleaning and food and beverage.”

But Mr Guo added that TWC2 is not advocating a massive liberalisation in foreign workforce policy, as making cheap labour too easily available could blunt the incentive for employers to pursue automation and productivity improvements.

The MOM also said it performs additional checks and audits on selected TEP applications, such as requesting proof of training programmes and foreign offices or subsidiaries.

It noted that it will take action against errant employers, including suspending their work pass privileges, imposing financial penalties or even prosecution.

The ministry also encouraged affected workers to reach out for assistance.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Attempted misuse of work pass for foreign students or trainees ongoing for years: Industry insiders​

The Manpower Ministry revealed on June 19 that it has received 120 reports related to the abuse of the Training Employment Pass in 2025.

Jun 24, 2025

SINGAPORE – Errant employers and agents have for years attempted to illegally bring in foreign workers for rank-and-file roles such as dishwashers under a pass intended for foreigners to undergo short-term professional training here, said industry insiders.

They told The Straits Times that the Training Employment Pass (TEP) attracts misuse in this manner because it does not impose a levy or quota on workers, unlike the work permit or S Pass, which are meant for lower-skilled or semi-skilled roles.

The TEP has come under scrutiny of late, following allegations of such misuse.

These included a blog post by advocacy group Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) in May flagging the issue, citing accounts from a rising number of low-wage workers holding the TEP who had approached it for help since December 2024.

The affected TEP holders had come forward with claims of being paid below the stated salary for their pass, being asked to work before receiving their passes, as well as being registered as “management executives” despite actually working in menial roles.

Responding to queries from ST, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) revealed on June 19 that it has received 120 reports related to TEP abuse in 2025, but did not provide for comparison the number of reports received in past years.

An MOM spokesperson also said an average of around 6,800 TEPs were approved each year over the last 10 years, with the majority of approvals for jobs in the services sector.

The ministry has stepped up enforcement efforts against employers who misuse the TEP scheme to circumvent the work pass framework, said the spokesperson.

The TEP allows foreign students or trainees from a company’s overseas office or subsidiary to undergo practical training for professional, managerial, executive or specialist jobs here for up to three months. Trainees must earn a minimum fixed salary of $3,000 a month.


The work attachment for student applicants must be tied to their studies. They must either be studying in an “acceptable institution” or earning at least $3,000 a month.

Trainee lawyers who are not permanent residents or Singaporeans are one group who have been approved to work here under TEPs, ST understands.

Another group, mentioned in a written parliamentary answer by Manpower Minister Tan See Leng in 2023, are those in clinical fellowship training programmes.

But Dr David Leong, managing director of human resources firm PeopleWorldwide Consulting, said some agents use the TEP to supply a steady stream of labour to employers grappling with acute manpower shortages, particularly in industries struggling to fill low-wage or undesirable roles.

“Some employers, unaware of the full extent of the agents’ misconduct, are unwittingly drawn into these schemes, believing they are addressing legitimate staffing needs.

“Others, however, knowingly collaborate with agents, taking advantage of the lax oversight to exploit workers for cheap labour, often in gruelling or irrelevant roles.”

Dr Leong added that he has consistently warned his clients against taking on workers brought in under a TEP, particularly for rank-and-file roles.

He said private education institutions may also sometimes act as fronts for channelling workers into low-wage, temporary jobs under the pretext of training.

Speaking in his personal capacity, former MOM prosecutor Jason Chua noted that the non-renewable nature and short duration of the TEP make it a relatively niche pass intended for skilled roles, compared to Employment Passes, work permits and S Passes.

“Also, the TEP is meant for foreign trainees to learn skills and apply them back in their home country.”

In contrast, the fundamental purpose of more mainstream work passes lies more in allowing the foreign worker to contribute economically, rather than learn, here, he said.

Reinforcing the intended scope of the TEP as being for skilled roles, Mr Chua said the TEP often gets confused with the Training Work Permit, which is reserved for eligible unskilled or semi-skilled foreign trainees or students to undergo practical training in Singapore.

However, this is subject to a levy, and still counts towards an employer’s quota for work permit holders.

The short duration of a TEP limits the types of roles that errant employers can practicably assign TEP holders. These are typically labour-intensive roles where high staff turnover does not matter as much.

Mr Ethan Guo, TWC2’s executive director, told ST the TEP holders who approached it for help were often forced by employers to sign payslips indicating they had received their full pay, but were actually paid less.

“We even saw one instance where payslips were not even issued to or signed by the workers, but instead doctored digitally.

“There are also those who were not given work and therefore didn’t get any pay at all.”

Still, attempts to bring in low-wage workers under this pass have continued. A TikTok video first uploaded earlier in 2025 and subsequently deleted soon after media reports surfaced on the TEP, re-emerged in June.

In a voice-over, a man can be heard touting the “advantages” of the TEP, including savings from not needing to pay a levy, as well as “more obedient” workers.

“The third (advantage) is that you don’t need to keep on your payroll ‘phantom workers’, so you wouldn’t need to live in fear of being caught, fined and have your finances frozen,” he said, adding that agents are able to help employers handle flights and accommodation as well.

Even though he acknowledged the short duration of the pass can be disruptive, the man added: “A lot of workers will be willing to come here.”

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Forum: MOM takes firm stance against misuse of Training Employment Pass​

Jul 01, 2025

We refer to the article “Attempted misuse of work pass for foreign students or trainees ongoing for years: Industry insiders” (June 24).

The Training Employment Pass (TEP) allows employers to provide opportunities for foreign students and intra-corporate trainees to undergo practical training in Singapore for up to three months and is not renewable.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has been monitoring TEP numbers. MOM has mounted several proactive operations to detect abuse of the TEP scheme. Arising from these operations, about 70 companies are now being investigated for offences such as making false declarations in work pass applications.

Making false declarations is a serious offence. If convicted, an offender can be fined up to $20,000, or jailed for up to two years, or both. Errant employers will also have their work pass privileges suspended.

MOM has established that some workers were misled by employers or agents who falsely promised that the TEP could be renewed or extended beyond the three-month validity period. In some cases, workers were told that the declared salary and work duration in their In-Principle Approval (IPA) letters were merely to comply with MOM regulations, and that private arrangements such as lower salaries or longer employment periods could be done. Such practices are a serious breach of MOM regulations and amount to circumventing work pass conditions.

Workers are reminded to review their IPA letters carefully, which clearly state their salary, occupation, and the period of employment which the TEP is granted for. Affected workers may reach out to MOM for assistance.

Adrian Quek
Divisional Director
Foreign Manpower Management Division
Ministry of Manpower

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Man jailed, fined more than $4m over scheme to evade $3.5m in taxes on parallel import cars​

Eric Tan Zhi Hao had earlier pleaded guilty to fraudulently evading excise duties and GST, laundering benefits from criminal conduct, and obstructing the course of justice.

Jul 09, 2025

SINGAPORE – A man involved in a scheme to under-declare to Singapore Customs the import values of vehicles, resulting in $3.5 million in excise duties and GST evaded, has been dealt with.

On July 8, Eric Tan Zhi Hao, 32, was sentenced to two years and four months’ jail, and fined $4,194,000.

If Tan does not pay the fine, he will have to serve an additional 44 months in jail.


Tan had earlier pleaded guilty to fraudulently evading excise duties and goods and services tax, laundering benefits from criminal conduct, and obstructing the course of justice.

Investigations revealed that since October 2022, Tan had conspired with three others to under-declare the value of motor vehicles imported by a company called Lightspeed Performance, which was a parallel importer of vehicles.

Under this scheme, Tan used his company, Eagle 9 Automotive, as an intermediary to receive money from car retailers that purchased motor vehicles imported by Lightspeed into Singapore.

Lightspeed would then bill Eagle 9 a partial amount of the actual value of the imported vehicles.

To make up the shortfall in the actual value of the imported vehicles, Eagle 9 would make separate transfers under the guise of “warranty payments” to two overseas companies owned by another man, also said to have had a role in the scheme.

As a result, Lightspeed submitted incorrect declarations to Singapore Customs in relation to the import of 485 vehicles, and evaded excise duty and GST totalling $3,532,170.48.

Of the 485 vehicles imported into Singapore under this scheme, Eagle 9 was used in the under-declaration of 190 cars, resulting in excise duty and GST of over $1 million being evaded.

After the director of Lightspeed was arrested in May 2023, Tan and others involved in this affair deleted the messages they had sent in a WhatsApp group chat used to facilitate the execution of this scheme to avoid being incriminated should they be hauled up.

Tan also threw away his mobile phone which had evidence of his participation in the scheme, thus obstructing the course of justice.

The cases of three others accused of being involved in the affair are still before the courts.

Those involved in fraudulently evading any duty or GST on imported goods can be fined up to 20 times the amount of tax evaded, jailed for up to two years, or both.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Security is so poor at the immigration checkpoints.
And all ICA can say is: “ICA will not hesitate to take firm action against travellers who attempt to enter Singapore using an impersonated identity or an identity different from their previous trips to Singapore,” said the spokesman.

S’porean who defaulted on NS obligations used fake Malaysian passports at checkpoints over 800 times​

Low Eng Kheng was sentenced to eight months and 18 weeks’ jail after pleading guilty to five charges under the Immigration Act.

Jul 11, 2025

SINGAPORE – A Singaporean who was trying to avoid his national service (NS) obligations in the 1990s used fake Malaysian passports to enter and exit the Republic to conceal his identity from the authorities.

Over a span of five years from 2006 to 2011, Low Eng Kheng, 60, used the fake passports 876 times at various checkpoints in Singapore.

On July 11, he was sentenced to eight months and 18 weeks’ jail after pleading guilty to five charges under the Immigration Act.


The court heard that in the early 1990s, Low left Singapore for Malaysia as he did not wish to complete his obligations as an operationally ready national serviceman (NSman).

He remained in Malaysia and did not return to Singapore, and his Singapore passport expired in June 2000.

In 2006, he wanted to travel to Singapore to visit his family as his mother’s health was deteriorating, but was afraid of using his actual Singapore identity as he believed that he was wanted by the authorities for not fulfilling his NSman obligations.

Thus, he paid an unknown individual RM45,000 for a Malaysian passport with his photograph but the particulars of one “Chong Poh Yin” and a birthdate that was not his.

In the subsequent years between 2008 and 2010, Low obtained three more Malaysian passports with his photograph but which bore the particulars of “Chong”. He paid the same unknown individual RM10,000 for each passport.

Low used the first passport to enter Singapore on Aug 7, 2006. After that, he frequently travelled between Singapore and Malaysia using the four passports. He last arrived in Singapore using one of the passports on May 2, 2011.


Between March and May 2011, he also gave false statements on his disembarkation forms to immigration officers on 59 occasions. These included his name, his date of birth and country of birth.

In September 2023, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) began investigations into Low as he had been found to be someone with multiple identities. It was not mentioned in court documents how his crimes came to light.

Low was arrested in August 2024.

Deputy Superintendent Ganeshvaran, senior prosecution officer from ICA, highlighted to the court that it was a conscious decision on Low’s part to run away from Singapore as he did not want to complete his NSman obligations, and to subsequently conceal his true identity to avoid the authorities.

In mitigation, defence lawyer Thomas Tham said his client did not use the Malaysian passports to enter Singapore to commit offences.

“Instead, he came to Singapore as a driver to send people around to try to make a living for his wife and kids. The sheer number of times he used the passports was because of the nature of his job as a driver,” said Mr Tham.


In a statement on July 11, an ICA spokesman said that since July 2020, multi-modal biometric clearance systems have been in place at the checkpoints to better detect and deny entry to those with multiple identities or impersonated identities.

All automated and manual immigration lanes and manual counters at Singapore’s land, sea and air checkpoints have been equipped with iris and facial scanners, said ICA, adding that the two biometric identifiers, in addition to fingerprints as a secondary biometric identifier, provide a highly accurate way of authenticating travellers’ identities.

“ICA will not hesitate to take firm action against travellers who attempt to enter Singapore using an impersonated identity or an identity different from their previous trips to Singapore,” said the spokesman.

 

[True Believer]

Draft dodger Low Eng Kheng paid RM45,000 for a Malaysian passport under “Chong Poh Yin”. Subsequently, from 2008 to 2010, Low obtained 3 more Malaysian passports with his photograph which cost him RM10,000 for each fake passport. It would have been cheaper to just serve NS like most SG males.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Two women jailed for submitting fake university certificates to MOM for employment passes​

Torres Alyssa Riva Fernan (left) and Conol Almira Joy Torres were jailed for four and six weeks respectively on July 17.


Summary

• Two foreign women, Fernan and Torres, submitted forged university certificates to Singapore's MOM to obtain employment passes.
• They worked at CL Enterprise for 15 months before MOM discovered the fraud during a random inspection.
• MOM seeks a strong sentence to deter others from exploiting the work pass system with false statements.

AI generated

Jul 17, 2025

SINGAPORE – Hoping to get employment passes so they could work in Singapore, two foreign women submitted false university certificates to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

After they secured the passes, their ruse went undetected for 15 months as they continued working for CL Enterprise, a firm which operates multiple Mr Fix retail outlets carrying items such as kitchenware and appliances.

On July 17, Torres Alyssa Riva Fernan and Conol Almira Joy Torres, both 29-year-old Filipinas, were jailed for four and six weeks respectively.


Fernan pleaded guilty to one charge under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.

Torres admitted to one similar charge, with two other charges taken into consideration for sentencing.

Asking the judge to impose a strong sentence, MOM prosecuting officer Teo Sijing said others were deprived of the jobs the two women had secured by deceiving the authorities.

Some time in September 2020, Torres contacted an unidentified Philippine agent known as “Cory” to look for a new job after her previous employment at another Singapore firm ended.

Cory informed Torres about a job as assistant sales manager with a monthly salary of $2,200. Torres was keen and went for the interview.

After the interview, CL Enterprise submitted an application for an employment pass for Torres to work as its assistant sales manager.


As part of the application process, Torres submitted a forged certificate indicating she had a bachelor’s degree in science from Ateneo De Manila University, and signed a declaration form affirming it was true.

She also stated that her monthly salary would be $5,800, although she knew this was false.

She did so on Cory’s instructions as she believed it was necessary for her employment pass application to succeed.

Meanwhile, Fernan heard about Cory through a relative while she was still in the Philippines looking for a job.

Cory required Fernan to pay her $4,500 before processing her job application.

Fernan took a loan to pay Cory.

Fernan then interviewed for the position of assistant operations manager at CL Enterprise and was hired.

In her employment pass application, she similarly submitted a forged bachelor’s degree in science certificate from De La Salle University in Manila, and signed a declaration form affirming that she had this qualification.

Both Torres and Fernan worked at the company from November 2020 to February 2022.

Their offences were discovered when MOM conducted a random inspection of CL Enterprise.

Court documents did not give more details about the inspection.

MOM’s Mr Teo said educational qualifications and salaries are important considerations when determining whether to grant an employment pass application.

Had the authorities known that the details submitted by the women were untrue, the pair would not have been granted the passes, said the prosecutor.

“The sentence sought would impose a strong deterrent message to offenders who seek to exploit the work pass system by making false statements and creating backdoors to facilitate illegal employment,” said Mr Teo.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Jul 21, 2025, 12:39pm

1/4
The National Delivery Champions Association says the black market for delivery accounts is thriving. PHOTOS: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS

Teo Yan Ting
TNP
July 17, 2025

Foreigners are paying as much as $1,000 to work illegally on delivery or ride-hailing amid a thriving black market for delivery accounts.

Mr Ng Gan Poh, president of the National Delivery Champions Association (NDCA), told Shin Min Daily News that account rentals can cost up to 10 per cent of the user's weekly or daily earnings.


Outright purchases range from $100 to $1,000. These transactions are typically done through personal networks or social media posts.

Mr Ng added that cases of foreigners illegally doing delivery work in Singapore have been happening since the Covid-19 pandemic. He said he can usually identify them by their vehicle licence plate, clothing, helmet type and accent.

The NDCA represents those whose main source of income is from food or package delivery. Only Singaporeans and permanent residents are allowed to work as delivery riders for platforms such as Grab and Deliveroo.

National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) assistant secretary-general Yeo Wan Ling told Shin Min on July 15 that a tripartite working group has been formed to tackle the issue.

This follows repeated complaints about unfair competition to the NTUC, along with associations representing private-hire drivers and delivery riders.

Ms Yeo said that tackling the issue requires effort from all sides: Platform workers should not sell or rent their accounts, foreigners should not misuse accounts they do not own, and the platforms themselves need to step up enforcement and supervision.

The Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP added that compliant workers are not only losing income opportunities to illegal riders, but also face other challenges such as undercutting by social media carpool groups and illegal cross-border taxi services.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

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Jane's wake is held at St. Joseph's Church (Bukit Timah). PHOTO: JANE LEE / FACEBOOK
Jul 22, 2025, 09:14am
Photos of Jane Lee's obituary surfaced days after her Facebook post.

A small business owner has died a day after publishing a pair of Facebook posts alleging that she was the target of a workplace injury scam.

In her posts on July 18, Jane Lee accused a former employee and the woman's husband of deliberately staging a fall just before her employment contract ended.

Lee, who owned Sumo Salad in Holland Village, said that this was an attempt by the couple to file a false work injury claim.


The mother of two also claimed that the couple had used similar tactics before, possibly with the help of a legal firm that, she alleged, advised foreign workers on how to exploit injury claims for compensation.

Lee added that she had video footage contradicting the employee's claims and had observed the woman walking and carrying out daily tasks with ease, only to exaggerate her condition in front of medical professionals.

"Unfortunately, this appears not to be her first attempt," Lee wrote. "Based on my observations and information I've gathered, I believe this was a carefully orchestrated scheme."


She warned that such tactics were used to target small businesses, especially those with incomplete insurance coverage. If insured, she claimed, the alleged scammers would aim for higher payouts by fabricating more serious injuries.

"I feel extremely unfortunate to have encountered this situation… because of an unfortunate gap in our insurance coverage, we are now being targeted by what I believe to be a fraudulent scheme," she wrote.

In a second post addressed to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Singapore Police Force (SPF), Lee urged authorities to investigate the matter, warning that other small business owners might face similar ordeals.

"To my beloved family and children, I'm truly sorry that I couldn't find the strength to face this battle on my own," she wrote in closing.

Jane also thanked her staff, listing several long-time employees by name and informing them she had transferred funds to them as a gesture of gratitude. She named individuals who had worked with her for more than a decade, describing their loyalty and support as deeply meaningful.

When The New Paper visited the wake on July 21, it was a quiet, private affair and mourners declined to speak with TNP.

Tributes poured in on social media, where Lee's posts had begun to circulate. One commenter, who had faced a similar legal battle, wrote: "Every single day felt like a struggle to survive. It hurts deeply that you chose to leave this world. Maybe this was your way of voicing the injustice done to you… You mattered. You still do."

Another added: "I know this tactic. It's common in some industries. They fake injuries to stay longer in Singapore or to get compensation. I hope MOM and SPF really look into it."

In a statement issued at about 8.30pm on July 21, MOM said it has been looking into the alleged fraudulent work injury claim made by a worker employed by EatGreen Pte. Ltd, which operates Sumo Salad.

"We were in communication with Ms Lee and investigations are ongoing. The worker involved was covered under Work Injury Compensation (WIC) Act, and MOM is working with the insurer to assess the validity of the case."

It added that it will not hesitate to take action against any parties found guilty of abusing the WIC system, and extended its deepest condolences to Ms Lee's family during this difficult time.

According to CNA, SPF said investigations into Lee's unnatural death are ongoing.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Comments​

Netizens urge MOM to tighten checks on false injury claims after Jane Lee’s passing sparks alarm​

Following the passing of salad shop owner Jane Lee, who had spoken out about an alleged false injury claim by a foreign worker, netizens mourned her loss and voiced concerns about mental stress and small business risks. Many shared similar encounters with suspected false claims and called on Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower to balance protection for employers and employees and strengthen checks against abuse.

Published on 22 July 2025
By Yee Loon

On 19 July, news broke that Jane Lee, owner of the salad shop Sumo Salad at Holland Village in Singapore, had passed away.

Her death came shortly after she shared troubling details of an alleged fraudulent workplace injury claim involving a foreign worker—an ordeal which, she said, caused severe distress to her and her business.

Her passing has since sparked widespread discussion on social media. Many mourned her loss and highlighted wider concerns about mental stress, the vulnerability of small businesses, and possible exploitation.

Numerous netizens have now come forward with their own experiences of suspected false workplace injury claims. Many are urging the authorities to balance protection for both employees and employers, and to increase scrutiny of fraudulent claims that they say have existed in Singapore’s job market for some time.

Jane Lee passed away on 19 July after raising alarm over alleged foreign worker injury claim scam​

Lee, who was in her 40s and a mother of two, described the allegations in her final Facebook posts.

She claimed that an employee from India had staged a workplace accident to defraud her business.

According to Lee, just two days before the worker’s contract was due to end, she staged an incident—claiming to have slipped and fallen while using an escalator to dispose of rubbish.

“On that day, she was supposed to leave work early, but she deliberately stayed back. It became clear to me that the accident was premeditated, likely as an attempt to file a false work injury claim, ” Lee wrote.

Lee accused the worker and her husband, both from India, of targeting small businesses, possibly with the backing of a legal firm coaching individuals on how to exploit injury claims for compensation.

She expressed that small businesses without comprehensive insurance were especially vulnerable.

“If they find one without proper insurance coverage, they instil fear and try to extort money,” Lee alleged.

She further claimed that if a business is insured, such workers may aim for higher payouts by fabricating more serious injuries, including permanent disabilities, to secure substantial sums from insurers.

In her final messages, Lee pleaded with authorities to investigate thoroughly, expressing fear that other small business owners could fall victim to similar schemes.

“I’m truly sorry that I couldn’t find the strength to face this battle on my own,” Lee wrote to her family and children.

MOM probes alleged false injury claim at Lee’s shop as police investigate her sudden death​

On 21 July, the Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM) announced it was investigating the alleged fraudulent work injury claim filed against EatGreen Pte. Ltd., the company that operates Sumo Salad, now rebranded as Sumo Well.

The Singapore Police Force is separately investigating the unnatural death of Lee.

MOM confirmed that its officers had communicated with Lee before her passing.

The ministry emphasised that investigations into the worker’s claim are ongoing, with officers coordinating with the relevant insurance provider to verify the workplace incident’s validity.

MOM stated that the worker involved is covered under the Work Injury Compensation Act and assured the public that it will not hesitate to take action against parties found guilty of abusing the system.

Employers with concerns about fraudulent claims have been encouraged to approach MOM for assistance.

Tributes pour in as netizens highlight similar cases of alleged fraudulent claims​

Observing comments on MOM’s Facebook page and Lee’s own page, tributes have poured in from netizens and Singapore’s food and beverage community.

Many expressed condolences to Lee’s family and lamented the pressures faced by small business owners.

Several netizens shared their own encounters with suspected false workplace injury claims.

For instance, one individual recounted an employee who claimed severe injuries after falling down stairs but was later seen moving normally outside court.

The worker reportedly received compensation and then secured employment in Canada despite claiming to be handicapped.

The netizen questioned how the system allows such cases to succeed and warned that false claims burden small businesses and insurers alike.

Others suggested that some workers may deliberately injure themselves to obtain compensation.

One netizen urged MOM to question Lee’s former employee thoroughly, recommending points investigators should examine to test the claim’s credibility.

The commenter stressed that with the worker still alive, MOM must uncover the truth, as no insurance payout can ever compensate for Lee’s loss.

Some comments claimed that fraudulent claims could also be used to extend workers’ stay in Singapore once their contracts end, buying time to find other jobs while investigations continue for months.

Another netizen described how their company dealt with a suspected fraudulent injury claim.

Despite submitting evidence and explanations to MOM and its appointed doctor, the employer’s concerns were dismissed, and MOM sided with the employee.

The commenter later discovered that the claimant was an undischarged bankrupt who had served a prison sentence for theft.

Years later, the employee succeeded in making the claim when new management chose not to contest it. At the time, the commenter managed to stop an insurance payout of S$23,000 but remained frustrated that the case had not been permanently closed.

Others shared similar stories of workers faking injuries, hiding to avoid detection, and being coached by agents or law firms to exaggerate injuries for larger payouts. Some alleged that feedback to MOM was overlooked and claimed that such practices remain common in certain worker dormitories.

Calls for MOM to balance safeguards for workers and small business owners​

Several netizens have called on MOM to provide a public statement on the investigation involving Lee’s company. They also urged the ministry to balance protection for both employees and employers, pointing out that many small and medium enterprises lack the resources to investigate and present evidence to counter potentially fraudulent claims.

Additionally, some called for MOM to scrutinise law firms or lawyers who handle a disproportionately high number of foreign worker injury claims, warning that these could be motivated by high or success-based contingency fees that might encourage exaggerated claims.

Some netizens also urged MOM to share statistics on how many appeals employers file each month and how many are rejected, to boost transparency.