Mdm Shen Miaolan, 76, who runs an economical rice stall, found out that both batches of her vouchers for this year—worth a total of S$800—were claimed without her knowing. She has since filed a police report.
Mdm Shen, who works at People’s Park Food Centre in Chinatown, was alerted to the problem when she went to a community club in Hougang in July to collect her separate SG60 paper vouchers.
The staff at the community club asked her whether she had already collected her CDC vouchers from January and May. Every Singaporean household was supposed to get S$300 in January and another S$500 in May.
However, when Mdm Shen asked the staff to print her CDC vouchers, she was told that someone had already claimed them. The staff informed her that the first batch was claimed on January 12 and the second batch on May 18, both in the afternoon.
Mdm Shen immediately knew something was wrong. “I was working at the stall on both occasions and could not have claimed them in person at those timings,” she said. She confirmed that she doesn’t know how to use a smartphone, and she usually gets her vouchers in paper form from the community club. She insisted that she had never claimed or used any of the vouchers before July.
Mdm Shen asked her son repeatedly if he had claimed the vouchers, but he denied it every time. She realized she needed help and filed a police report.
Mdm Shen explained that the S$800 is a very important “living allowance” for her from the Government. She works very hard, standing for almost 16 hours a day and finishing work late at night.
A reporter from Shin Min Daily News helped Mdm Shen check the online records. The records showed that she supposedly used the first batch of vouchers on March 29 and the second batch on July 14. The transaction history also indicated that most of the vouchers were redeemed in the Hougang area at places like Sheng Siong Supermarket, grocery stores, and minimarts.
Mdm Shen found these records confusing, saying she always pays with cash and shops close to her home. She was firm that she had never used the vouchers or seen those records before.
