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25 foreign employees jailed for forged academic certificates

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Baal

Baal

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http://www.tremeritus.com/2014/02/22/25-foreign-employees-jailed-for-forged-academic-certificates/

 

 

25 foreign employees jailed for forged academic certificates

 

 

dmca_protected_sml_120n.pngPostDateIcon.png February 22nd, 2014 | PostAuthorIcon.png Author: Editorial

mom.png

 

25 foreigners were sentenced to jail on Thursday (20 Feb) for submitting forged academic certificates to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to illegally obtain work passes to work in Singapore.

 

All 25 foreign employees pleaded guilty. 22 of them were sentenced to 10 weeks’ jail, 2 to 12 weeks’ and 1 to 4 weeks’. 25 is the largest number of foreign employees prosecuted for the offence this year, and the penalties are the most severe the courts have ever meted out for the offence.

 

The 25 foreigners obtained forged academic certificates in their home countries, and used them to apply for work passes between 2 November 2012 and 7 June 2013. Based on the false information submitted, 20 were issued an S-Pass and 5 an Employment Pass (EP). An S-Pass holder needs to have a minimum fixed monthly salary of $2,200 and an EP holder $3,300.

The nationalities of these 25 foreigners, comprising 21 males and 4 females, are:

 

  • 16 from Myanmar
  • 7 from India
  • 2 from the Philippines

 

 

They were issued work passes to work in operations, sales, and food and beverage. Among them were a hair restoration technologist, a quality control executive and a chef. They all worked for less than a year in Singapore.

 

MOM launched investigations between November and December 2013, and discovered that their academic certificates were forged through checks with the relevant certificate issuing institutions and respective foreign government departments. They had mislead MOM to believe that they met the required educational criteria to obtain the work passes.

 

MOM’s investigations revealed that all the employers were unaware that the foreign employees had submitted forged academic certificates for their work pass applications. As the employers were not complicit, no action was taken against them.

 

Last year, MOM prosecuted 78 foreigners for similar offences. Convicted foreigners are barred from working in Singapore.

MOM amended the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act in November 2012, and made the offence of making a false statement or submitting any false document relating to academic qualifications a standalone offence with stiffer penalties. Offenders may be fined up to $20,000 and/or imprisoned up to 2 years.

 

Apart from legislative measures, MOM said it is strengthening its processes and fraud detection capabilities. This includes enhancing internal database checks, verifying the certificate’s authenticity directly with the issuing educational institution, and requiring employers/employment agents to upload verification/proof of diplomas and higher qualifications for applications for EP, S-Pass and Training Employment Pass. MOM also performs retrospective audits.

 

In addition, MOM is supplementing its checks with third-party screening agencies. Last month, MOM announced that they had hired Dataflow Services in New Delhi to conduct random checks on education certificates and employment history declared by Indian nationals working in Singapore [Link]. MOM said that it would use “independent verification channels” like Dataflow to conduct its own random audits.

 

Dataflow says on its website that it helps clients ensure that the staff they hire are qualified and competent. “We identify fraudsters and unwanted professionals by verifying their qualifications and checking individuals against proprietary database and international watch lists.”

 

MOM requires all foreign applicants for passes to make accurate, complete and truthful declarations to the Controller. Making a false declaration by submitting a forged academic certificate or certificates is a deliberate attempt to mislead the Controller. MOM said it will not condone such acts of deceit, and will take severe action against offenders, as well as errant employers and employment agencies if they abet foreign applicants who submit forged academic certificates.

 

MOM is also seeking the co-operation of the public. Any member of the public who knows of foreign employees using forged certificate(s) can and should call MOM at (65) 6438 5122 or email [email protected].

 

All information is kept strictly confidential.

 

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Kezg1

Kezg1

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http://www.tremeritus.com/2014/02/22/25-foreign-employees-jailed-for-forged-academic-certificates/

 

 

25 foreign employees jailed for forged academic certificates

 

 

dmca_protected_sml_120n.pngPostDateIcon.png February 22nd, 2014 | PostAuthorIcon.png Author: Editorial

mom.png

 

25 foreigners were sentenced to jail on Thursday (20 Feb) for submitting forged academic certificates to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to illegally obtain work passes to work in Singapore.

 

All 25 foreign employees pleaded guilty. 22 of them were sentenced to 10 weeks’ jail, 2 to 12 weeks’ and 1 to 4 weeks’. 25 is the largest number of foreign employees prosecuted for the offence this year, and the penalties are the most severe the courts have ever meted out for the offence.

 

The 25 foreigners obtained forged academic certificates in their home countries, and used them to apply for work passes between 2 November 2012 and 7 June 2013. Based on the false information submitted, 20 were issued an S-Pass and 5 an Employment Pass (EP). An S-Pass holder needs to have a minimum fixed monthly salary of $2,200 and an EP holder $3,300.

The nationalities of these 25 foreigners, comprising 21 males and 4 females, are:

 

  • 16 from Myanmar
  • 7 from India
  • 2 from the Philippines

 

 

They were issued work passes to work in operations, sales, and food and beverage. Among them were a hair restoration technologist, a quality control executive and a chef. They all worked for less than a year in Singapore.

 

MOM launched investigations between November and December 2013, and discovered that their academic certificates were forged through checks with the relevant certificate issuing institutions and respective foreign government departments. They had mislead MOM to believe that they met the required educational criteria to obtain the work passes.

 

MOM’s investigations revealed that all the employers were unaware that the foreign employees had submitted forged academic certificates for their work pass applications. As the employers were not complicit, no action was taken against them.

 

Last year, MOM prosecuted 78 foreigners for similar offences. Convicted foreigners are barred from working in Singapore.

MOM amended the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act in November 2012, and made the offence of making a false statement or submitting any false document relating to academic qualifications a standalone offence with stiffer penalties. Offenders may be fined up to $20,000 and/or imprisoned up to 2 years.

 

Apart from legislative measures, MOM said it is strengthening its processes and fraud detection capabilities. This includes enhancing internal database checks, verifying the certificate’s authenticity directly with the issuing educational institution, and requiring employers/employment agents to upload verification/proof of diplomas and higher qualifications for applications for EP, S-Pass and Training Employment Pass. MOM also performs retrospective audits.

 

In addition, MOM is supplementing its checks with third-party screening agencies. Last month, MOM announced that they had hired Dataflow Services in New Delhi to conduct random checks on education certificates and employment history declared by Indian nationals working in Singapore [Link]. MOM said that it would use “independent verification channels” like Dataflow to conduct its own random audits.

 

Dataflow says on its website that it helps clients ensure that the staff they hire are qualified and competent. “We identify fraudsters and unwanted professionals by verifying their qualifications and checking individuals against proprietary database and international watch lists.”

 

MOM requires all foreign applicants for passes to make accurate, complete and truthful declarations to the Controller. Making a false declaration by submitting a forged academic certificate or certificates is a deliberate attempt to mislead the Controller. MOM said it will not condone such acts of deceit, and will take severe action against offenders, as well as errant employers and employment agencies if they abet foreign applicants who submit forged academic certificates.

 

MOM is also seeking the co-operation of the public. Any member of the public who knows of foreign employees using forged certificate(s) can and should call MOM at (65) 6438 5122 or email [email protected].

 

All information is kept strictly confidential.

 

 

I believe its only the tip of the ice berg...MOM should have all the resources to check on it if they are efficient enough...Damn

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Jman888

Jman888

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I believe its only the tip of the ice berg...MOM should have all the resources to check on it if they are efficient enough...Damn

 

 

the responsibility should be on the employers and not make mom as the HR department for these companies. If they have doubt it is up to the employers to clarify and justify. If the company HR sleep on it or even to the extent lie to the authority. They are the one facing the consequences, i.e. inefficient, poor standards, and eventually close shop.

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Watwheels

Watwheels

Supersonic

Despite the rules and regulations there will be such cases, ppl will risk it all just to get work here. Those paid $1.50/hr instead of $800/mth also like that.

 

The population of FW is not small. By the time they do a thorough check on all the FW they would have earn enough wages and go home. Want to catch them they would have already left sgp. I believe these are just random checks.

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Scion

Scion

Turbocharged

 

 

the responsibility should be on the employers and not make mom as the HR department for these companies. If they have doubt it is up to the employers to clarify and justify. If the company HR sleep on it or even to the extent lie to the authority. They are the one facing the consequences, i.e. inefficient, poor standards, and eventually close shop.

 

agreed

 

in order to solve this issue, the company or their HR who kena caught hiring fake FTs should be also fined jialat jialat

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Watwheels

Watwheels

Supersonic
(edited)

 

 

the responsibility should be on the employers and not make mom as the HR department for these companies. If they have doubt it is up to the employers to clarify and justify. If the company HR sleep on it or even to the extent lie to the authority. They are the one facing the consequences, i.e. inefficient, poor standards, and eventually close shop.

 

Employers just engage/lias FW agency to do the hiring. The only thing the employer care is the wages and terms the FWs are willing to accept. The agency only care about the commission earned from the FWs the rest they also hack care. The authorities want to care but got no manpower to do so many checks. In other words nobody care about what responsibility you are talking about. HR only take care about their pay. If got issue with FW they just refer back to agency, send the fellow back and get another one. Bottom line is cheap labour. No quality or standards to talk about.

 

Nowadays it's a lot more controlled. When the first floodgates opened, any Tom, Dick & Harry can come to sgp and work. If ppl didn't comprain and stop all these nonsense it would continue to be like that.

 

FW agency is like the slave labour trader you see in movies. Floodgates open only you will see a lot pop out from everywhere. Mostly no license from MOM. They were making lots of moola. Now, all these no license one all disappear. LoL...

Edited by Watwheels
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Myxilplix

Myxilplix

Turbocharged

There was another article last week about a bunch of foreigners getting charged for over-declaring their salaries for qualify for passes. But no news about employers getting charged.

 

I say hoot the bloody employers more for not exercising their due diligence. If you hold them responsible you can bet they'll start being more thorough in their hiring practises. Those that make the staff "pay back" salary at the end of the month, hoot even harder.

 

The only foreigner in my office had to pay back salary at his previous job and was shocked when we told him we do not practice this and he would be paid the full amount (which qualifies him for his s-pass).

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Watwheels

Watwheels

Supersonic

There was another article last week about a bunch of foreigners getting charged for over-declaring their salaries for qualify for passes. But no news about employers getting charged.

 

I say hoot the bloody employers more for not exercising their due diligence. If you hold them responsible you can bet they'll start being more thorough in their hiring practises. Those that make the staff "pay back" salary at the end of the month, hoot even harder.

 

The only foreigner in my office had to pay back salary at his previous job and was shocked when we told him we do not practice this and he would be paid the full amount (which qualifies him for his s-pass).

 

The thing is it's the FW agency doing all the dirty work for whatever company that requires workers and by all means necessary. MOM can only go after the FW agency. These bosses just close shop and open another. The employers are largely not affected. Now that companies need manpower MOM...what? penalise/shut down all these companies? You think it won't affect our economy? Our businesses are mostly SMEs. You go and hoot the employers lor.

 

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Wt_know

Wt_know

Supersonic
(edited)

employer want cheap & good, don't really care about the "validity" of the certificate ....

couldn't care less for a genuine diploma/degree for shop assistant, promoter, fast food manager, call centre/helpdesk, etc ...

these jobs ... O/A level also can do liao

Edited by Wt_know
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Yrvsport

Yrvsport

2nd Gear
(edited)

There are more especially in those IT firm where they always bring in their kakis around as an excuses saying that local talent is not qualify or less experience to fit the vacancy....more to come...

Edited by Yrvsport
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