Fake Grab receipts, timesheets uncovered during routine review
A temporary staff member at Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) was sentenced to 21 weeks in jail on November 28 after defrauding his employer of more than $24,000 through forged receipts and timesheets.
33-year-old Muhammad Fariz Shaik Sha Marican admitted to fabricating Grab receipts, work-related timesheets, and medical certificates during his employment, with two forgery charges brought against him in court and two others considered during sentencing, according to the Straits Times.
He was hired through recruitment firm Persolkelly (PSK) in November 2021 to support MOH’s COVID-19 operations. The fraud came to light in April 2023 when MOH reviewed his annual leave balance as part of a process to convert him to a permanent role. Discrepancies in his transport claims and timesheets were discovered, prompting PSK and MOH to file police reports.
Investigations revealed that Fariz forged 228 Grab receipts between July 2022 and April 2023, claiming rides he had never taken and receiving over $9,500 from PSK, said the Straits Times. An additional 234 forged Grab receipts from December 2021 to June 2022 led to further disbursements of more than $6,900.
During the same period, he submitted eight falsified timesheets, copying and pasting the signature of a former supervisor to claim over $7,700 for unworked overtime hours. Fariz also created fake medical certificates and an electronic letter supposedly from the Singapore Armed Forces, using them to excuse himself from reporting to work.
In May 2023, after learning of the investigation, he admitted his offences to MOH and resigned from his position. He was arrested two months later.
Fariz’s bail was set at $10,000, and he is expected to begin serving his sentence on December 9.
