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A total of 55 people have been arrested as of last Wednesday for the alleged theft of shopping vouchers.
Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Deputy Minister for Finance and National Development Indranee Rajah said that 229 sets of grocery vouchers had been stolen as of last Wednesday.
This amount is less than 0.2 percent of the total 150,000 mailed games, and each game is worth $ 150. They are intended to help low-income people with household expenses during Covid-19.
The spate of thefts emerged last month after mailboxes at properties such as Redhill, Marsiling, Lengkok Bahru and Toa Payoh were opened and vandalized.
Indranee said: “According to the Singapore Police investigations, the thefts appear to be opportunistic and the cases are not linked. In some cases, the recipients left their mailboxes open.”
He added that the stolen coupons have been voided and replacement coupons are being issued.
She said: “We encourage everyone to keep their mailboxes locked and repair damaged mailboxes to prevent theft.”
REGISTERED MAIL
Responding to questions from Members of Parliament about how authorities decided to distribute the coupons, Ms Indranee said the government decided to disburse them via registered registered mail after considering public health limitations, convenience for recipients, and safety. .
Ms Indranee said that digital coupons were not feasible as some recipients may not be digitally equipped.
Most of the beneficiaries are 55 years or older.
She said: “If digital vouchers were used, it would have taken more time and effort to first provide the proper digital interfaces before recipients can receive the anticipated support for household expenses.”
He added that the self-collection option would create additional inconvenience for seniors, especially those who are less mobile, and could also lead to crowds.
To mitigate theft and fraud, each coupon has unique characteristics for tracking purposes and to identify the intended recipient.
It added: “With that said, we will continue to review ongoing disbursements to balance security and convenience for recipients.”
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