Medical certificates (MCs) are intended to protect employees when they are genuinely unwell, but misuse can have far-reaching consequences. A routine verification call from a company’s human resources (HR) department recently uncovered a suspected case of falsified MCs.
During the HR check, the company contacted a clinic to confirm whether an employee had sought treatment on a specific date. The clinic found no record of the employee visiting on that day. Suspicion grew as the HR officer noted that the employee had been submitting MCs from the same clinic regularly.
“The HR officer told us the employee frequently submits MCs from our clinic. But when we checked, the last actual visit was in 2024,” said a clinic staff member. All the MCs allegedly bore the same doctor’s name and clinic stamp, dating from 2024 through 2026.
The situation became clearer when the HR team shared photos of the MCs. “That’s when we were really shocked. The MC was using our old clinic template,” the staff member explained. The clinic had used the manual template in 2023, before upgrading to a digital system in early 2025. The employee appears to have reused the outdated template, changing only the dates before submitting it to their employer.
“It’s unbelievable that someone would fake an MC like this,” the staff member added. “The doctor could take legal action because their stamp was misused. I don’t know what goes through people’s minds to do this.”
The case has drawn attention online, with many netizens urging strong action. “People like this cause companies to impose stricter MC rules, forcing genuinely sick employees to come to work,” one user commented. Another called for legal measures: “Just lodge a police report. They are damaging the reputation of doctors.”
The incident highlights the risks of MC fraud, which not only undermines workplace trust but can also create legal exposure for multiple parties.
