SINGAPORE - She came to Singapore to work as a domestic helper to put her five younger siblings, aged 16 to 23, through school in the Philippines.

So when she could not afford the $700 needed for their school fees, she borrowed money from a “licensed moneylender”, who turned out to be a scammer.

In 2023, 500 maids got scammed.

This is an 18 per cent increase from the 423 maids who got duped in 2022, said Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam in a written parliamentary answer on April 2.

Agencies and non-governmental organisations worry the numbers might be underreported, as many maids fear losing their jobs and being deported.

Jane (not her real name), 37, who has worked in Singapore since 2011, said the scammer offered to lend her $3,000 with a 10 per cent interest rate in 2018.

She said: “I agreed because the money would help me pay my siblings’ school fees in advance, while the extra money could be sent to my parents.”

She suspected something was amiss when the scammer asked for photos of her work permit pass for verification purposes and sent her $300 instead of $3,000.

“I told him I did not want to borrow money from him any more, and even offered to return the $300,” she said.

But after Jane returned him the money, the scammer asked her to continue paying him $100 weekly.

“He threatened to tell my employer and appear at our doorstep. He said he had my details, so he was in control. I was so stressed,” she recalled.

Jane paid him $100 but told her employer, who helped her lodge a police report.

She changed her mobile number to stop receiving messages from the scammer.

The police told The Straits Times that maids lost at least $800,000 to scams in 2023, down from the $1 million lost in 2022.

The most common scams maids fell for in 2022 and 2023 were phishing scams.

In 2023, the second and third most common scam types they got duped by were job scams and e-commerce scams, which included the sale of concert tickets.

In 2021, 357 maids got scammed, a rise from the 216 victims in 2020.

To tackle this issue, the police run the Domestic Guardians Programme, which trains maids on how to prevent common crimes such as housebreaking, trespassing and scams.

Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training (Fast) told ST it is concerned about domestic helpers getting scammed as they are often their families’ sole breadwinners.

Fast said: “They carry a heavy financial burden of sending money to support their families’ livelihoods, children’s education and even their siblings and close relatives.

“The loss of their hard-earned money adversely affects both their mental health and ability to perform their domestic duties.”

Fast said it provides social support to scam victims through counselling and pro bono legal advice.

Other experts noted that while fewer maids got scammed in 2023, such cases could be underreported.

Dr Stephanie Chok, executive director of the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home), said domestic helpers may stay silent for fear of getting fired.

She said Home has seen more domestic helpers getting scammed in the last few years.

She added: “They may also be afraid they could be investigated for any illegal activity they could have committed, despite being victims of scams.”

She said falling for scams may cause them to turn to illegal moneylenders to solve their money woes.

Mr Michael Lim, director of NTUC Migrant Workers Segment, said the fear of being repatriated could be one reason why such cases could be underreported.

He said: “Some domestic helpers may be too embarrassed to report the case, especially if the amount lost is not large.”

He said that’s where employers could help.

Said Mr Lim: “As employers, we need to warn them about scams, and be vigilant to signs they have already fallen victim to scams.”

An obvious indication is when domestic helpers are visibly distracted as they work, he said.

He added: “Another telling sign is when domestic helpers constantly ask for their salary in advance. They may give reasons like family emergencies, medical reasons or the need to pay school fees.”

He advised employers to speak to their domestic helpers and to alert the authorities.

Despite more maids getting scammed, victims like Jane are fighting back.

She is part of a group of 2,000 volunteers at the Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE) who educate maids about scams at popular hot spots for helpers like Lucky Plaza, Far East Plaza and Paya Lebar two Sundays a month.

Another volunteer, Ms Censie, 45, a maid who wanted to be known only by her first name, almost fell for a love scam in 2018.

The single mother to a daughter, 19, met a man on Facebook who claimed to work in the US as a surgeon.

He claimed he had bought her gifts, but needed her to pay US$500 (S$680) in “immigration fees” to receive them. When she declined, he called and messaged her frequently.

She said: “That’s when I realised he was out to scam my money. So, I quickly cut contact with him.”

Jane said maids like her come to Singapore for a reason.

She said: “We didn’t leave our families for nothing. If I lost my savings to a scam, my dreams of sending my siblings to school would have been shattered.

“I don’t want other maids to lose their dreams too.”