PETALING JAYA: A foreign domestic worker secretly borrowed over RM10,000 from loan sharks, using her employer’s information as a guarantor without permission.
Datuk Seri Michael Chong, Head of the Malaysian Chinese Association’s Public Service and Complaints Bureau, revealed that his office had recently received numerous complaints from employers about this issue, Kosmo Online reported.
The latest case involved a Filipino maid who borrowed more than RM10,000 from three loan shark groups without her employer’s knowledge.
When she failed to repay the loan, the loan sharks began harassing her employer and their family, armed with personal details and photos, which exposed them to security risks.
“The employer, who had employed the worker for 10 years, described her as hardworking and well-behaved, and never thought she would be involved in a loan problem like this,” he was quoted as saying.
Chong explained that the loan sharks resorted to using Grab’s cash-on-delivery (COD) service to send food deliveries in an attempt to contact the domestic worker, as they couldn’t reach her directly.
“By using this method, the rider would deliver the phone to the worker to establish contact,” he added.
As foreign domestic workers are not eligible for legal loans in Malaysia, Chong stated that illegal lenders often request the employer’s personal details as loan guarantees, violating their privacy and putting them at risk.
He also mentioned that some domestic workers provide the personal details of their employers and their family members to loan sharks before leaving the country at the end of their contracts.
“This puts the employer at risk without their knowledge. The employer has filed a police report, and the case has been referred to the relevant embassy for further investigation,” he explained.
Chong advised employers to be more cautious when hiring and managing foreign domestic workers to prevent similar incidents.
He also said that this was not the first time complaints about foreign domestic workers secretly borrowing money involving their employers had been received.
