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AsiaOne
4 days ago
- AsiaOne
Jail for woman who forged medical documents in bid to quickly withdraw her CPF funds, Singapore News
SINGAPORE — In a ploy to withdraw money from her Central Provident Fund (CPF) account before the permitted age of 55, a woman forged two medical documents claiming she had a respiratory illness. Although the CPF Board (CPFB) saw through the ruse and did not disburse any funds to her, the prosecution said Nasuha Zakaria's crime constituted serious mischief. On Aug 12, the 34-year-old was sentenced to five months and 10 weeks' jail after she pleaded guilty to one forgery charge and two unrelated charges of theft. Four other charges of theft, forgery and fraudulently possessing property were taken into consideration during sentencing. Deputy Public Prosecutor Nivethaa Ravintharan said the scheme Nasuha tried to exploit was intended for individuals with a reduced life expectancy, those who are permanently unfit for work or those lacking mental capacity. The prosecutor added: "CPF is a government body and this is a situation where the public confidence is at stake." The court heard that in 2021, the CPFB received two medical certification forms from Nasuha. The forms were purportedly issued by doctors from the Singapore General Hospital and certified that Nasuha suffered from a respiratory illness. When verifying the authenticity of these documents, CPFB discovered the signatures on the doctor's columns did not seem legitimate. CPFB wrote to SGH, which replied that none of their doctors had signed on the two documents. It was then that Nasuha admitted she had signed the documents herself as she wanted to quickly withdraw funds from her CPF account. According to CPF's website, successful applicants under the scheme may withdraw $5,000 or more. DPP Nivethaa said: "While there was no monetary loss on the part of CPF, such attempts should be strongly deterred as it endangers CPF's primary interest in ensuring the long-term financial security of individuals." Separately, Nasuha committed two theft offences in January. On Jan 7, she entered an unlocked office in a commercial building in Changi Road when its staff had left for lunch and stole two laptops and an iPad amounting to about $4,500. Using the "Find my iPhone" app, a staff member found that one of the items was at Nasuha's residential address. She was subsequently arrested. But she struck again on Jan 25, this time stealing a mobile phone and $800 cash from a store in Lorong 11 Geylang when the store owner was not at the counter. The owner saw the taxi she fled in and reported it to the police. She was arrested but the stolen items were not recovered. The court heard that Nasuha was previously fined for theft and jailed for abetment of cheating. Victoria Tay from the Public Defender's Office said her client, who is married with a daughter, has plans to continue her studies and find proper employment moving forward. "This is going to be the end of her criminal behaviour. She is committed to changing her ways," said Tay. [[nid:719899]] This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.
New Paper
4 days ago
- New Paper
Jail for woman, 34, who forged medical documents in bid to quickly withdraw CPF funds
In a ploy to withdraw money from her Central Provident Fund (CPF) account before the permitted age of 55, a woman forged two medical documents claiming she had a respiratory illness. Although the CPF Board (CPFB) saw through the ruse and did not disburse any funds to her, the prosecution said Nasuha Zakaria's crime constituted serious mischief. On Aug 12, the 34-year-old was sentenced to five months and 10 weeks' jail after she pleaded guilty to one forgery charge and two unrelated charges of theft. Four other charges of theft, forgery and fraudulently possessing property were taken into consideration during sentencing. Deputy Public Prosecutor Nivethaa Ravintharan said the scheme Nasuha tried to exploit was intended for individuals with a reduced life expectancy, those who are permanently unfit for work or those lacking mental capacity. The prosecutor added: "CPF is a government body and this is a situation where the public confidence is at stake." The court heard that in 2021, the CPFB received two medical certification forms from Nasuha. The forms were purportedly issued by doctors from the Singapore General Hospital and certified that Nasuha suffered from a respiratory illness. When verifying the authenticity of these documents, CPFB discovered the signatures on the doctor's columns did not seem legitimate. CPFB wrote to SGH, which replied that none of their doctors had signed on the two documents. It was then that Nasuha admitted she had signed the documents herself as she wanted to quickly withdraw funds from her CPF account. According to CPF's website, successful applicants under the scheme may withdraw $5,000 or more. DPP Nivethaa said: "While there was no monetary loss on the part of CPF, such attempts should be strongly deterred as it endangers CPF's primary interest in ensuring the long-term financial security of individuals." Separately, Nasuha committed two theft offences in January. On Jan 7, she entered an unlocked office in a commercial building in Changi Road when its staff had left for lunch and stole two laptops and an iPad amounting to about $4,500. Using the "Find my iPhone" app, a staff member found that one of the items was at Nasuha's residential address. She was subsequently arrested. But she struck again on Jan 25, this time stealing a mobile phone and $800 cash from a store in Lorong 11 Geylang when the store owner was not at the counter. The owner saw the taxi she fled in and reported it to the police. She was arrested but the stolen items were not recovered. The court heard that Nasuha was previously fined for theft and jailed for abetment of cheating. Ms Victoria Tay from the Public Defender's Office said her client, who is married with a daughter, has plans to continue her studies and find proper employment moving forward. "This is going to be the end of her criminal behaviour. She is committed to changing her ways," said Ms Tay.
The Star
5 days ago
- The Star
Jail for woman who forged medical documents in bid to quickly withdraw her CPF funds in Singapore
Although the CPF Board saw through the ruse and did not disburse any funds to her, the prosecution said Nasuha Zakaria's crime constituted serious mischief. - Photo: ST SINGAPORE: In a ploy to withdraw money from her Central Provident Fund (CPF) account before the permitted age of 55, a woman forged two medical documents claiming she had a respiratory illness. Although the CPF Board (CPFB) saw through the ruse and did not disburse any funds to her, the prosecution said Nasuha Zakaria's crime constituted serious mischief. On Tuesday (Aug 12), the 34-year-old was sentenced to five months and 10 weeks' jail after she pleaded guilty to one forgery charge and two unrelated charges of theft. Four other charges of theft, forgery and fraudulently possessing property were taken into consideration during sentencing. Deputy Public Prosecutor Nivethaa Ravintharan said the scheme Nasuha tried to exploit was intended for individuals with a reduced life expectancy, those who are permanently unfit for work or those lacking mental capacity. The prosecutor added: 'CPF is a government body and this is a situation where the public confidence is at stake.' The court heard that in 2021, the CPFB received two medical certification forms from Nasuha. The forms were purportedly issued by doctors from the Singapore General Hospital and certified that Nasuha suffered from a respiratory illness. When verifying the authenticity of these documents, CPFB discovered the signatures on the doctor's columns did not seem legitimate. CPFB wrote to SGH, which replied that none of their doctors had signed on the two documents. It was then that Nasuha admitted she had signed the documents herself as she wanted to quickly withdraw funds from her CPF account. According to CPF's website, successful applicants under the scheme may withdraw S$5,000 or more. DPP Nivethaa said: 'While there was no monetary loss on the part of CPF, such attempts should be strongly deterred as it endangers CPF's primary interest in ensuring the long-term financial security of individuals.' Separately, Nasuha committed two theft offences in January. On Jan 7, she entered an unlocked office in a commercial building in Changi Road when its staff had left for lunch and stole two laptops and an iPad amounting to about $4,500. Using the 'Find my iPhone' app, a staff member found that one of the items was at Nasuha's residential address. She was subsequently arrested. But she struck again on Jan 25, this time stealing a mobile phone and $800 cash from a store in Lorong 11 Geylang when the store owner was not at the counter. The owner saw the taxi she fled in and reported it to the police. She was arrested but the stolen items were not recovered. The court heard that Nasuha was previously fined for theft and jailed for abetment of cheating. Victoria Tay from the Public Defender's Office said her client, who is married with a daughter, has plans to continue her studies and find proper employment moving forward. 'This is going to be the end of her criminal behaviour. She is committed to changing her ways,' said Tay. - The Straits Times/ANN
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Straits Times
Jail for woman who forged medical documents in bid to quickly withdraw her CPF funds
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Although the CPFB saw through the ruse and did not disburse any funds to her, the prosecution said Nasuha Zakaria's crime constituted serious mischief. SINGAPORE – In a ploy to withdraw money from her Central Provident Fund (CPF) account before the permitted age of 55 , a woman forged two medical documents claiming she had a respiratory illness. Al though the CPF Board (CPFB) saw through the ruse and did not disburse any funds to her, the prosecution said Nasuha Zakaria's crime constituted serious mischief. On Aug 12, the 34-year-old was sentenced to five months and 10 weeks' jail after she pleaded guilty to one forgery charge and two unrelated charges of theft. Four other charges of theft, forgery and fraudulently possessing property were taken into consideration during sentencing. Deputy Public Prosecutor Nivethaa Ravintharan said the scheme Nasuha tried to exploit was intended for individuals with a reduced life expectancy, those who are permanently unfit for work, or those lacking mental capacity. The prosecutor added: 'CPF is a government body, and this is a situation where the public confidence is at stake.' The court heard that in 2021, the CPFB received two medical certification forms from Nasuha. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Luxury items seized in $3b money laundering case handed over to Deloitte for liquidation Singapore NEL, Sengkang LRT resume service after hours-long power fault; Punggol LRT being restored Singapore Live: Services on Punggol LRT being progressively restored Singapore Plan to base Singapore's F-15 fighter jets in Guam cancelled Singapore Hyflux investigator 'took advantage' of Olivia Lum's inability to recall events: Davinder Singh Singapore Man who stabbed son-in-law to death at Boon Tat Street in 2017 dies, aged 80 Singapore Scoot to launch flights to Chiang Rai, Okinawa, Tokyo-Haneda, boost frequency to other places Singapore Off-duty SCDF officer dies after accident in Punggol; 15-year-old pillion rider taken to hospital The forms were purportedly issued by doctors from Singapore General Hospital and certified that Nasuha suffered from a respiratory illness. When verifying the authenticity of these documents, CPFB discovered that the signatures on the doctor's columns did not seem legitimate. CPFB wrote in to SGH, who replied that none of their doctors had signed on the two documents. It was then that Nasuha admitted she had signed the documents herself, as she wanted to quickly withdraw funds from her CPF account. According to CPF's website, successful applicants under the scheme may withdraw $5,000 or more. DPP Nivethaa said: 'While there was no monetary loss on the part of CPF, such attempts should be strongly deterred as it endangers CPF's primary interest in ensuring the long-term financial security of individuals.' Separately, Nasuha committed two theft offences in January. On Jan 7, she entered an unlocked office in a commercial building along Changi Road when its staff had left for lunch, and stole two laptops and an iPad amounting to about $4,500. Using the 'Find my iPhone' app, a staff member found that one of the items was at Nasuha's residential address. She was subsequently arrested. But she struck again on Jan 25, this time stealing a mobile phone and $800 cash from a store along Lorong 11 Geylang when the store's owner was not at the counter. The owner saw the taxi she fled in and reported it to the police. She was arrested but the stolen items were not recovered. The court heard that Nasuha was previously fined for theft and jailed for abetment of cheating. Ms Victoria Tay from the Public Defender's Office said her client, who is married with a daughter, has plans to continue her studies and find proper employment moving forward. 'This is going to be the end of her criminal behaviour. She is committed to changing her ways,' said Ms Tay.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is Musk's next target
The Brief Members of Elon Musk's team have reportedly descended upon the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the latest target of Musk and President Donald Trump. The bureau was created after the 2008 financial crisis to regulate mortgages, car loans and other consumer finance. Elon Musk and members of his Department of Government Efficiency team have reportedly entered the headquarters of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the latest agency to be targeted by the billionaire ally of President Donald Trump. Musk, a few hours later on his social media site X, posted "CFPB RIP" with a tombstone emoji. It's not the first time that Musk, who's been tapped by Trump to upend the federal workforce, has made disparaging comments about the CFPB. RELATED: Time magazine cover puts Elon Musk behind Trump's desk The backstory The bureau was created after the 2008 financial crisis to regulate mortgages, car loans and other consumer finance. It has long been opposed by Republicans and their financial backers. Sen. Elizabeth Warren developed the idea of the CFPB and is one of Trump's targets for criticism. RELATED: 'BACK TO PLASTIC': Trump to sign executive order banning paper straws Last year, the Supreme Court rejected a challenge that could have undermined the bureau, ruling that the way it is funded does not violate the Constitution. Unlike most federal agencies, the bureau does not rely on the annual budget process in Congress, but is funded directly by the Federal Reserve. Big picture view Musk, Trump and a large bloc of Republicans have long criticized the CFPB as regulatory overreach. But consumer advocates say Musk's motives may be a conflict of interest: According to Politico, Musk sees the CFPB as an obstacle to launching real-time payments on X through Visa. The CFPB has been cracking down on tech companies with payment platforms. The other side Many liberal groups stressed that the CPFB work helped to return billions of dollars to consumers. Kitty Richards, a former Treasury Department official and senior strategic adviser at the liberal think tank Groundwork Collaborative, said the CPFB has been a "tireless watchdog." "Trump was always more interested in serving his billionaire boys club than delivering change for working people," Richards said. Dig deeper The crusade against the CFPB comes days after Trump fired the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Rohit Chopra, in the latest purge of a Biden administration holdover. Chopra was one of the more important regulators from the previous Democratic administration who was still on the job since Trump took office on Jan. 20. Chopra's tenure saw the removal of medical debt from credit reports and limits on overdraft penalties, all based on the premise that the financial system could be fairer and more competitive in ways that helped consumers. But many in the financial industry viewed his actions as regulatory overreach. California Rep. Maxine Waters, the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, said in a statement that Chopra's dismissal "marks the end of an era of strong consumer protection and the beginning of a plan to end this important agency." The Source This report includes information from the Associated Press and Politico.
