As the casual gym rat would surely be aware of, a gym membership can get a little… expensive.

And that’s especially so for private gyms, entities that possess considerably more perks and facilities than the average public gym.

So really, one can expect expenses to go a little steep in the long run, especially if you insist on hogging that gym-exclusive hot tub at the end of the day.

And while some might be able to pay it without breaking a sweat, others might find it a little non-sustainable, which might in turn…

Warrant certain post-workout activities.

Woman Printed MC Booklets & Forged 17 MCs So She Could Extend Gym Membership for Free

According to TODAYonline, a 47-year-old freelance writer has pleaded guilty to forging medical certificates (MCs), in a bid to extend her membership at Amore Fitness.

She is reported to have fabricated the ‘written statements’ for a period of three years, during which she managed to amass 98 days’ worth of medical leave.

According to the report, Aida Tay Ai Ling’s membership was due for renewal in 2016.

At the time, Amore, an all-women gym and spa company, permitted its customers to increase their membership duration, based on the number of days their medical leave or travel period entails.

To circumvent the expensive membership fees, Tay decided to, as local NS men would put it, play the system. 

She requested for a printing shop to manufacture 10 fake MC booklets from Town Clinic, a Bugis-based clinic that she used to visit, and used a fake stamp bearing the name of a general practitioner from the clinic to forge 17 MCs.

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Discovery

She reportedly committed the act from 22 April 2016 to 24 September 2019.

On 25 September 2019, suspicions arose when an area manager for Amore realised something unusual about the order of serial numbers on Tay’s MC.

The manager then dialled the clinic in question to clarify her doubts, only to be told that the doctor had ceased the issue of handwritten MCs for several years.

The general practitioner whose name was on Tay’s stamps also denied issuing the MCs to Tay.

The manager eventually made a police report, and Tay’s membership was terminated.

Amore is believed to have incurred losses of around S$498 from Tay’s antics.

Sentencing

According to Tay, she only learnt about forgery being a criminal offence when she read the email.

She purportedly got rid of the fake MC booklets and stamp when she found out and has since paid back the estimated S$498 in full.

However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Yen Seow was not convinced, noting that Tay went to “great lengths” to fabricate the MC booklets and subsequently enjoyed membership privileges without the necessary payment.

A probation sentence was disallowed, due to the nature of the case.

Tay, who has been clinically diagnosed with depression, said that Amore is like a ‘home’ to her.

“To some people, it’s just exercise, but to me, it is more than fitness. I attend dance classes and make a lot of friends. That’s my social circle.

“There’s a lot of interaction with members and they become a second family… it is really my community that I fall back on and I feel happy and forget the troubles I’m facing. I still don’t understand why I was so dumb to do this.”

In sentencing, District Judge Bay reportedly told her:

“You should know that forgeries of MCs are taken particularly seriously, given that once an MC is produced, the recipient presumes that the illness or health condition exists, and is unlikely to question that the person should be granted the excuse or indulgence requested for.”

Tay was sentenced to three weeks’ jail on Friday (12 June).

For forgery, Tay could have been jailed up to four years, fined or both.

For “perverting the course of justice by destroying the booklets and stamp”, she could have been liable to face a jail sentence of up to seven years, fine, or both.

With that said, remember to pay your fees, folks;

Crime never pays off in the end.

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