A human resource worker in Singapore, Tan Lee Nah, has been sentenced to 18 months in jail for stealing $148,000 from her employer, D'Perception Singapore, an interior design company, through unauthorized salary hikes and false claims.
Tan, 53, was responsible for the company’s payroll system. Just two months after joining the firm in May 2017, she began submitting false expense claims. She continued this scheme until she was caught in November 2019, using the stolen money to pay for her child’s tuition fees and her parents' medical bills.
Tan claimed false travel expenses each month, ranging from $750 to $7,300. From January to November 2019, she also added fake mobile phone expenses, holiday allowances, and other extra expenses to her claims.
In 2017, she was supposed to transfer money to the Central Provident Fund (CPF) for a new employee. Instead, she kept the money for herself by misappropriating the cheques.
Tan was the only person with the password to the company’s payroll system, making it easy for her to manipulate the salary inputs. Her scheme was uncovered when an employee saw a copy of Tan's salary statement on the printer, showing she had received extra allowances. The employee reported it to management, leading to an investigation and police involvement.
Tan pleaded guilty on June 3 to two charges of false reimbursement and one of criminal breach of trust for cashing the cheques. She explained in court that she had spent the stolen money on her child’s education and her parents' medical bills and was unable to repay the company.
The judge remarked that Tan had treated the company’s money like her "personal piggy bank.
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