Singapore mother faces loanshark harassment after helper's elaborate lie and betrayal

SHAH ALAM – A Singapore mother is sharing a raw, emotional story on Instagram as she navigates a shocking betrayal by her domestic helper, a wave of loanshark harassment and the struggle to protect her family.

What began as a plea for empathy quickly became a gripping cautionary tale that many employers found painfully familiar.

From the start, she admitted it had been a string of exhausting days, describing it as a tough week made harder by the absence of a helper and the added burden of various complications.

She reflected that while many families may empathise with their helpers, she still believed that full trust should not be given, even if the helper has served the family well.

“Some may still backstab and betray you and it is truly sad because there are genuine and hardworking helpers out there. Unfortunately, it is the few ‘bad ones’ who give the whole industry a bad name,” she wrote in her Instagram post caption.

According to her Instagram post, the story began on Oct 22 when her helper, who had worked with them for one year and three months, broke down in tears claiming her husband had been in a serious accident.

She said the helper pleaded to return home temporarily and promised to come back on Oct 27.

The family had treated the helper “like part of the family,” celebrating her birthday, dining out together and even purchasing a new phone when she said her old one no longer worked.

They even booked her flight home out of concern and advanced her November salary after she said she had only SGD30 left and needed money urgently.

Later, her father-in-law found a TikTok video showing the helper in a car with her children and her husband, appearing perfectly fine and shortly after the account disappeared.

That was the moment they realised she never planned to return.

Their agent also confirmed she had run away and they cancelled her work permit immediately.

The Loanshark Nightmare

The real nightmare started days later, on Oct 26, when the family discovered the helper had borrowed money from a loanshark on the same afternoon she told them her husband had been “in an accident.”

Harassment began immediately as endless spam calls, threats and messages poured in from multiple numbers. On Oct 28, new illegal loan applications appeared under the helper’s name using her family’s details.

Her parents began receiving unwanted food deliveries that required cash-on-delivery payment, causing her father to file a police report.

The harassment spread to her parents’ and sister’s homes, all of whom have young children too.

She said she lodged a report with MOM (Ministry of Manpower), who confirmed the helper will no longer be allowed to enter Singapore for employment.

While this brought some reassurance, she hoped authorities could improve support for employers in similar situations.

She also expressed her disappointment over what she sees as an increasing number of irresponsible domestic helpers and stressed that it is always the families who end up bearing the consequences.

Her final message is one of disappointment, but also a plea for awareness.

She wanted others to learn from her experience and hoped no other family faces the same fear, disruption and betrayal.