Man Jailed for Faking Diploma, Using His Own Numbers as Referees’ Contacts

SINGAPORE – Muhammad Rasul Kadir Ali was sentenced to three weeks in jail on Wednesday (Oct 5) after using a forged diploma in security and fire safety management when applying for two jobs. To strengthen his application, he submitted his own phone numbers as contacts for referees, impersonating them to provide positive feedback about himself.

The 31-year-old Singaporean pleaded guilty to two charges of using a forged document and one charge of cheating by personation. His deception was uncovered when a human resource manager who called the referees grew suspicious, noticing the voices sounded like Rasul’s. A further check confirmed her doubts.

In 2016, Rasul sought a job as a fire safety manager but knew the required diploma would take him two years to obtain. An acquaintance, known only as Ravi, offered to prepare a fake diploma. Initially reluctant, Rasul changed his mind, feeling the wait was too long despite knowing it was wrong.

Ravi provided Rasul with a forged diploma and an academic transcript purportedly from Temasek Polytechnic. Rasul lost contact with Ravi after receiving the documents. It was not revealed in court whether Rasul paid for the forgeries.

On July 8, 2020, Rasul submitted the fake diploma to SPH Retail Property Management Services. A senior HR manager noticed discrepancies in the document, such as differing fonts from those typically used by Temasek Polytechnic. She confirmed with the school’s administrative manager that Rasul was not in their database of graduates and the diploma had not been issued by them.