Singapore Expats

I am lil worried.. Could helper be involved in some scam? Asking a few thousand from me is no small sum...has anyone encountered such situations from ur helper? Her reason is to buy a house..

"NO." Is a complete sentence.

abbby wrote: ↑

Thu, 08 Apr 2021 6:14 pm

I am lil worried.. Could helper be involved in some scam? Asking a few thousand from me is no small sum...has anyone encountered such situations from ur helper? Her reason is to buy a house..

Our maid had a son in Singapore, and a completely useless husband that she hadn't seen in years (you can thank the Catholic church for that one). During thee 8 years I was there, she purchased a piece of property, and mostly completed building a house on the property. From time to time, she would ask for a substantial advance on her salary... usually for major projects... like adding the roof.

We saw the house she was building... photos anyway... and met her son. So, she was legit, and I think she is only going to work in Singapore for a few more years until she moves back and takes up residence in the house she has built.

Your task then, is to determine if her house project is legitimate. Photos, deeds... all are evidence. And you need to decide if you're going to give a loan or a gift.

abbby wrote: ↑

Thu, 08 Apr 2021 6:14 pm

I am lil worried.. Could helper be involved in some scam? Asking a few thousand from me is no small sum...has anyone encountered such situations from ur helper? Her reason is to buy a house..

It could be her getting scammed, it could be someone scamming her family or it could be her scamming you.

Assuming it’s not a scam, it could be her family putting pressure on her to do this. By you saying no, it could actually help her, by removing that pressure - - at least she can tell them that she tried. To be honest, buying a house in the Philippines is often a dicey proposition, even for locals. There is no title insurance and title disputes are very common. Even if it’s completely legit, you could still be doing her a favor, because once the money gets sent there she won’t have any control over it... I can’t tell you how many times my helper has sent back money that doesn’t get used for its intended purpose!

And of course there are some helpers who have ulterior motives and are genuinely trying their luck to shake you down - whether it’s a home purchase, a sick relative or a dead caribou... and once they get the payday, it’s bye bye.

Bottom line, as much as you might want to have a heart for her, there aren’t many scenarios where that turns out good for her or you.

Unless you can be completely certain that the money can and will be used for its intended purpose (which will be hard) say no. You don’t want to lose your money and have her go into debt trying to pay you back.

May be I think too much.

I'm more concern, did she happen to be loan guarantor for her friend.
Now, friend MIA. Money lender come to her for payment?

therat wrote: ↑

Fri, 09 Apr 2021 1:34 pm

May be I think too much.

I'm more concern, did she happen to be loan guarantor for her friend.
Now, friend MIA. Money lender come to her for payment?

I doubt it, that seems a little far fetched.

I think there is a chance she might be telling the truth..

Ive been asked for a "loan" before from our helper to complete her house and while i did not ask for any proof, I trusted her and she did show us pictures after a few months of the things she used it for (ceiling, fridge, flooring) and she did pay us back fully (loan taken out from her salary for 6 months)..

Last year she asked for a salary advance to buy laptops for her children who will need it for distant learning in Philippines..and again we had no reason to doubt her and she did pay it back too..we did do a written agreement though in both cases where she signed off that she borrowed xxxx amount and how much will be deducted per month for x number of months..

Circumstances are hard right now for everyone around the world and unfortunately in most scenarios they have many mouths to feed.. I would make my judgment based on her track record..ours always told the truth and has been with us for years so we based it on our mutual trust...

You are one of the lucky ones.

Yes, as much as I want to trust my helper, there is always a chance that thousands will disappear as a result, and that’s not a risk I’m very comfortable with.