SINGAPORE - A total of 55 people have been arrested for stealing Budget 2020 grocery vouchers from letterboxes at Housing Board blocks across the island, said Second Minister for Finance Indranee Rajah on Monday (Nov 2).
Those receiving the vouchers are mainly older people, with most of them aged 55 and older, she added in Parliament.
But as digital literacy improves in this group over time, the Government may issue digital vouchers, she said in her reply to three MPs who had asked about the distribution methods and rate of theft of the vouchers.
The grocery voucher scheme helps lower-income Singaporeans with their household expenses and can be used at participating supermarkets.
About 150,000 sets of vouchers, each worth $150, were sent via tracked registered mail to eligible Singaporeans last month, the Minister said.
A total of 229 sets, or less than 0.2 per cent, have been reported stolen as of Oct 28, with the police making 55 arrests.
Police investigations found the thefts appear to be opportunistic and the cases are not linked. In some instances, the recipients had left their letterboxes unlocked, Ms Indranee said.
"The small number of vouchers reported as stolen have been voided, and replacement vouchers are being issued to eligible recipients. We encourage everyone to keep their letterboxes locked and repair any damaged letterboxes to avoid theft," she added.
Each voucher also has unique features which help identify the intended recipient and trace the voucher to specific locations and time of transaction, to prevent theft and fraud.
She also explained the Government had to find a distribution method that balances public health constraints from Covid-19 with reasonable convenience for the recipients and security concerns.
Digital vouchers were ruled out as some of the recipients may not own a smartphone, have a mobile data plan or be digitally-ready.
It would have required more time and effort to first provide the appropriate digital interfaces before the recipients can receive the intended support, she added.
"That said, as digital literacy improves among older Singaporeans, we may be able to consider digital vouchers for this group in future."
Self-collection at the nearest community club or centre was also ruled out, as it would bring additional inconvenience for senior citizens, especially those with mobility issues, and cause crowding at the collection points.
Ms Indranee said that owing to the pandemic, Singapore Post (SingPost) had adopted contactless delivery measures earlier this year, including the redirection of registered mail services to letterboxes.
She added that SingPost will monitor and verify successful deliveries to recipients' letterboxes, with a photo taken by the postman as proof of delivery.
