To feel rich, many of us look at our CPF statement regularly.
But not everyone does that; this man didn’t and when his daughter saw his statement, they had a shock.
Daughter Discovers Retiree Father Receiving Mysterious Workfare Income & CPF Funds
The daughter, Cai Lili (Hanyu Pinyin), informed Shin Min Daily News that she had brought her father to a social service office in Jurong to apply for a long-term assistance scheme.
Her elderly father, Mr Cai, had been hospitalised multiple times and had undergone surgery due to adrenal cancer and chronic heart failure.
The former bus driver had previously used Medisave and short-term assistance schemes to cover his living expenses and hospital bills.
During the application process, Cai Lili stumbled upon a strange discovery.
There had been a constant inflow of $175 into Mr Cai’s CPF account every month, and on top of that, he was also receiving a workfare income supplement of $140 dollars.
Since Mr Cai was already a retiree, there was no explanation for him receiving any additional income or workfare supplements.
Cai Lili immediately filed a police report and reported her findings to the Ministry of Manpower.
Father Shared Personal Information to Others
In a subsequent interview, Mr Cai admitted to sharing his personal particulars with a long-time friend of 10 years.
Given his financial situation and poor health, the friend told him he could help Mr Cai acquire a small amount of CPF funds to supplement his living expenses.
The catch? Allowing his friend to take a screenshot of his NRIC.
In the following months, Mr Cai had $175 of CPF funds sent to his account every month.
But of course, paying CPF without working is illegal.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) reports that they will continue to investigate this incident.
MOM has also warned the public to be wary about “phantom employees”. While not paranormal like the term suggests, these employees pose a threat by violating workplace laws.
“Phantom employees” are a ploy certain companies use to hire more foreign labour beyond the ceiling imposed by MOM.
For example, a company can contribute CPF to five Singaporeans or Singapore PRs without them actually working in the company.
To the authorities, it’d look like the company has engaged five full-time Singaporeans / Singapore PRs, increasing its quota for foreign workers.
Upon contacting Mr Cai’s friend following the incident, he was found to be extremely uncooperative, refusing to provide the name of his employer and his company.
Should a company be found guilty of hiring “ghost employees”, they will be liable to fines of up to $20,000. They might even be banned from engaging foreign workers altogether.
