Singapore employer terminates Filipina maid after family becomes target of alleged loan shark harassment

SINGAPORE: An employer has decided to send her Filipina domestic helper home after discovering that she had borrowed money from an unlicensed moneylender, a situation that allegedly resulted in the family receiving “threatening messages, relentless spam calls and even physical harassment.”

Posting anonymously in the SINGAPORE TRANSFER (No Fees/SD), DIRECT HIRE & NEW HELPER Facebook group on Wednesday (Jun 3), the employer said she was shocked to learn that her helper had provided the family’s details to the moneylender without their knowledge.

“We treated her like family and she has been with us for 1.5 years. She didn’t even try to ask us for a loan because of her ego. Until the day she left, she didn’t feel remorse for her actions and didn’t tell her family what she did. It is very disappointing.”

According to the employer, the debt issue was not the only concern. She claimed the helper had also engaged in a number of “unethical” activities. 

Among the examples she listed were communicating with multiple foreign workers through TikTok, meeting men during her days off, and allegedly lying after using the family’s laundry detergent to wash her own clothes. 

She also said that the helper frequently spent beyond her means and would even pawn gold jewellery to obtain quick cash when money was tight.

The employer claimed that these habits led the helper to accumulate more than S$1,500 in debt within just five months.

She continued, “Honestly, we would’ve allowed her to transfer or wanted to give her a chance but after discovering that she also provided our child’s details and photo to unknown people, this has severely broken trust.” 

Concerned that the helper may eventually seek employment in Singapore again, the employer said she decided to make the post as a warning to prospective employers.

“She mentioned that she will try to come back to Singapore to work; hence, we are writing this post for potential employers to take note.”

“If you are considering a Filipina helper and worried it might be her, please feel free to comment and I’ll PM her name so you can take note and avoid her. Not posting her name here because there’s no point in publicly shaming her. We’ve done the necessary updates to MOM and made a police report.”

“However, we’re not very confident that she will be blacklisted because multiple calls to MOM provided us with different answers. Yes, she needs a job, but it’s not right for her to potentially sabotage another family.”

“I urge all employers to leave feedback on the MOM website.”

In the comments, one employer said, “I’m so sorry you had to experience this. My ex-helper had the same issue of borrowing money.”

Another commented, “The new cohort of Filipino maids has tarnished all the good reputation their seniors built up over the years.”.

A third encouraged employers to be more proactive when it comes to leaving feedback, writing:

 “I urge all employers to leave feedback on the MOM website for any helper who has previously worked for them. Please include your contact information so future employers can reach out for reference checks,” highlighting the need for proper references before hiring.”

“Give feedback on positive and negative, providing a testimonial can help new employers make more informed decisions.”

As per the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), domestic helpers are prohibited from borrowing money from unlicensed moneylenders. Those found engaging in such activity may be permanently banned from working in Singapore.

Read also: ‘We’re a family here’: Singaporeans say it’s one of the biggest workplace red flags