Maid on home leave asks employer for $1K for airport transfer; other helpers say she’s a cheat and won’t need more than $100

SINGAPORE: The employer of a foreign domestic helper took to social media asking others if she should pay the $1,000 her maid wanted as a loan.

The helper, who has gone on home leave, wanted to borrow money for an airport transfer from her hometown and sought a loan of $1,000.

Her employer sought advice in an anonymous post to a Facebook support group for domestic helpers and employers.

“Helper mentioned she is unable to borrow from the relative of friends despite us saying we will help her return once she’s back in SG. Any advice?” the employer asked.

Most other helpers who commented on the post said that the maid was probably trying to cheat her employer as transfer costs would not total even $100.

Here’s what they wrote:

Last year, after a foreign domestic worker got into debt, the loansharks harassed her employers with multiple missed calls and video calls.

A moderator of the Facebook group FDW in Singapore (working conditions forum) Eliz Llanillo shared earlier in the year that her friend (an employer) told her that loansharks were harassing them because of their helper who borrowed money. 

Ms Eliz wrote: “Can we think that this is our Ricebowl and we should takecre (sic) [o]f this job. This is where we get the food to feed and provide to (sic) our family and for the future”.

In an update, Ms Eliz shared a screenshot of the police report the family made, as well as an email from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). In her police report, the helper said that the loanshark “kept giving my employer missed calls/video calls and prompting my employer to pick up his calls, call the police, scolding vulgarities to my employer and send a screenshot of my full details”.

Read the full story here:

Maid borrows money from loanshark for “extra income” but employer gets harassed & scolded vulgarities as well