Government rolls out tech measures to prevent bogus SkillsFuture claims

Singapore

THE government plans to roll out QR codes for attendance-taking at SkillsFuture courses by next year to reduce cases of fraudulent claims. This was among new tools and technology enhancements by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) to support fraud mitigation efforts.

These measures follow the formation of an Inter-Agency Process Review Task Force set up last year in response to a series of offences that involved S$40 million worth of bogus claims being paid out by SSG.

At Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Chee Hong Tat's visit to SSG on Aug 2, he told the media that it was crucial to "beef up the fraud management system".

"We are using public funds so we have a duty to make sure these funds are used appropriately to support the continuous lifelong learning needs of Singaporeans.

"We want to make sure that this is not tarnished by the actions of a small number of black sheep who are are trying to cheat and abuse the system," said Mr Chee.

In 2017, more than 4,400 individuals falsely claimed to have attended SkillsFuture courses, claiming credits that amounted to more than S$2 million.

The implementation of QR codes for attendance-taking aims to deter individuals from abusing the system. Course attendees will be emailed a QR code that is valid only during the course session and it will be linked to their SingPass accounts.

Currently, attendance is taken in the morning and the afternoon of each day of a training programme, said Karen Lam, director of training provider SeraphCorp Institute.

"Implementing the use of QR codes for attendance taking will certainly make this more convenient and prevent cases where claims are made of phantom learners or classes," she said.

Another measure is the use of data analytics and machine-learning to detect anomalies in claim submissions by individuals and business entities. This is an improvement from the previous method of manually checking claims from random samples. With more than 600,000 claims received every year, it is also a more efficient way of detecting suspicious activity.

"With fraudsters devising increasingly elaborate scams, our fraud risk management system is evolving to better safeguard the funds earmarked for the skills development of our workforce. Specifically, we are making better use of technology and data to enhance our capabilities," said SSG chief executive Ng Cher Pong in a press statement.

However, Mr Chee told the media that technology also has to go hand in hand with traditional methods like whistleblowing to step up on preventive measures.

The new measures will go a long way in preventing fraud cases, said Ms Lam.

"Government funds make learning accessible to everyone. It's a unique privilege that Singaporeans have and shouldn't take for granted or exploit for monetary gains."

Past cases of fake claims

UNDER the SkillsFuture Credit scheme, Singaporeans aged 25 and above receive a S$500 credit from the government to attend courses by approved training providers. However, there has been a spate of bogus claims made in recent years: