INVESTIGATION TIP: Dealing with Phantom workers

The Sunday Times report on phantom workers (22 Feb 09) showed inherent weakness in the system and with the job credits payouts, such weakness could be further exploited. Fortunately the woman reported the matter to her MP. There may be many others who are not aware or worse do not know that it is an offence to allow their identity to be use by such employers. In my view this increasing problem needs to be addressed before it becomes widespread, undermining the quota system and causing misery to some elderly who may be exploited in return for a small amount of pocket money.

With so many cases reportedly under investigations, this should provide some pattern and methods can be established to identify similar suspicious circumstances. Looking at the news reports, one indicator could be businesses with high percentage of local employees with low CPF contributions and high ratio of foreign workers. There are many other methods of detection and I hope more awareness can be created so as to deter such dishonest practices

A network of listening posts and casual informers can be easily established at the grassroots level where coffee shops and other business establishments can be monitored for unusually high percentage of foreign workers. Analysis of the information can then be turned into intelligence and verified through surveillance for subsequent enforcement action. All these techniques are taught in my special investigation techniques training program and have been proven effective in my years of police/CID investigation and enforcement experience.