A man and a woman were each sentenced to 10 months in prison on Monday for defrauding more than HK$128,000 from the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Scheme run by the Social Welfare Department, after using forged medical certificates to support their claims.
Police launched an investigation following a referral from the Social Welfare Department, which suspected that forged documents were being used to apply for the assistance fund.
A 26-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman were arrested in October 2024. Investigators found that the pair had repeatedly submitted falsified sick leave certificates related to traffic accidents between 2023 and 2024 to obtain the assistance.
Both defendants were charged with two counts of fraud last year. They pleaded not guilty but were convicted on Monday at Eastern Magistrates’ Courts.
The court ordered the pair to repay the full amount of the assistance fraudulently obtained.
