Here's a cautionary tale about how bad things can get with a dishonest foreign domestic helper in Singapore.

Borrowed money with employer's details

In October 2017, a woman in Singapore, Velle Yee, discovered that her foreign domestic helper, Sismar Mae Amor Roma, had taken a loan from a licensed moneylender.

The helper had used Yee's contact details to secure the loans.

Yee then filed a police report on the incident, but decided not to terminate her helper's work permit at that time, citing the "effort and cost involved in replacing an FDW (foreign domestic worker) in Singapore" as reason.

However, over the next six months, Yee's helper continued to take out loans that amounted to more than S$2,100, before being discovered again.

Yee shared the full story in a lengthy Facebook post.

April 2018: More letters demanding payment

On April 23, 2018, nearly half a year after the first incident, Yee received a letter from another licensed moneylender demanding an overdue payment of S$500:

When confronted about the loan, the helper Sismar allegedly lied that it had been paid in full.

However, when Yee followed up with the money lender, she found out that the loan had not been paid.

Not the first time FDW has lied, employer claims

Yee claimed that this was not the first time Sismar had lied to them.

In the past, Yee wrote, the helper would immediately deny or place the blame on someone else when confronted with an error made.

Given her alleged history of lying, Yee decided she had had enough.

The employer immediately cancelled Sismar's work permit on April 24, and an air ticket bound for Davao City in Philippines on April 26 was purchased.

Another moneylender's letter

Shortly after cancelling her work permit, the family received yet another letter asking for payment, this time from an unlicensed moneylender threatening to publicise Sismar's name and FIN (foreign identification number) by writing it on ATMs:

The family filed another police report and confronted the helper on this incident.

The helper initially denied matters, but upon further pressure, Yee said that it became apparent Sismar had "multiple loans outstanding".

Furthermore, Yee felt that the helper's account of events did not add up.

Taken into police custody

On the same evening, Yee called the police, who attempted to "piece the truth" from Sismar.

That was when they found out that the helper allegedly had S$2,100 in outstanding debt from both licensed and unlicensed moneylenders, as well as instalment purchases from at least from five different places.

The police then took Sismar into custody for further investigation, where she remained until her flight back to Davao Island on April 26.

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Alleged shopping spree

The police managed to uncover that Sismar had been on a shopping spree in April, allegedly after she had been notified of her home leave -- where a foreign domestic helper returns to their home country for a period of time -- scheduled in May.

Yee shared some of the receipts in her Facebook post showing the purchases that were made within that month, including jewellery and mobile phones:

Judging from the receipts of the spree, Yee believed that Sismar had intended not to return to Singapore from her home leave.

Even after the helper's departure, packages were delivered to the family for cash on delivery, which they rejected.

Yee also received letters from pawn shops, which she claims are from the jewellery Sismar purchased on instalment and pawned them immediately for cash to send home.

Yee added that Sismar had four Sundays off, as well as on Christmas Day.

MOM cannot place employment ban

In the post's comments, Yee shared an email response from the Ministry of Manpower clarifying that it is unable to place an employment ban on Sismar as she was not charged and found guilty under Singapore laws.

Instead, they placed her on a reference system. This means that future prospective employers would be referred to contact Yee if and when Sismar applies for a work pass again.

However, Sismar can still be hired should the prospective employers decide not to contact Yee.

It is also not known why licensed moneylenders are able to hand out loans without further checks to foreign domestic helpers not authorised to receive them.

This is Yee's full Facebook post:

Top photo composite image from Velle Yee's Facebook