Shanghai Techie Caught In Rs 7.8 Lakh Maternity Insurance Scam

People often blame the system for its flaws and inefficiencies. There are individuals who not only identify these shortcomings but also exploit them for personal gain. Today, we bring you an incident from our neighbouring country, China, that might leave you astonished. As reported by the South China Morning Post, this incident occurred in Shanghai, a well-known tech hub. A woman, despite having a stable job and earning a good income, fraudulently exploited the maternity insurance policy for a significant amount of money. When the case reached court, it left everyone in shock, as no one had imagined that such a policy could be misused in this way.

Maternity holds significant importance in China’s insurance system. Every company is required to provide maternity insurance, which covers expenses related to pregnancy and childbirth. It also includes financial support for women during their maternity leave. A 42-year-old woman working in a foreign company found a way to exploit this benefit.

As per a report by Shanghai TV, despite earning more than Rs 3 lakh per month and pursuing studies in computer science and telecommunications, the woman was tempted by the free insurance. For four years, she fraudulently made insurance claims five times, taking undue advantage of the system.

Two years ago, the woman made two maternity insurance claims, citing miscarriages. To support her fraudulent claims, she used software to create fake documents, successfully obtaining a total of Rs 7.8 lakh. After each claim was approved, she would delete all the forged documents to avoid detection. This year, she once again attempted to claim insurance by submitting fabricated documents related to a miscarriage. Still, this time, her claim was rejected. In February, she tried again, this time with documents associated with the birth of a child. Unlike her previous claims, these documents were valid, allowing her to secure the insurance cover.

Upon reviewing her latest documents, the company uncovered her previous fraudulent claims. They promptly reported the case to the police. The woman confessed, explaining that her actions were driven by a sense of insecurity and she apologised for her wrongdoing. Despite her apology, she was sentenced to one and a half years in jail and has since resigned from her job. This unusual case is now trending on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.