Maid steals $12,000 from employer's account, then tries to pass it off as lottery winnings
A domestic helper here made several withdrawals from her employer’s account using her bank card, stealing up to $12,000 of savings.
When her 76-year-old employer noticed she was shopping for clothes and accessories more often than usual, the maid told her the money came from lottery winnings.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the helper is set to serve a seven-month jail sentence for her crimes.
The domestic helper, Faridah, 41, was hired by Madam Chen in May 2019.
After more than two years of employment, Madam Chen began giving her maid her bank card and account details to help her withdraw funds from time to time.
In March 2022, Faridah used those details to secretly withdraw $500 from the account.
When this went unnoticed, Faridah continued with the illicit withdrawals on multiple occasions between March 20 and Sept 8.
Though she did not notice anything amiss when she checked her account balance in March, Madam Chen observed that Faridah was constantly shopping for new clothes and accessories.
The helper would even purchase expensive food such as steak, and no longer wanted to eat the same food as Madam Chen’s family.
“She told me she won the lottery and treated me to a meal. I felt it was strange, but didn’t suspect anything at the time,” said Madam Chen.
Investigations later revealed that Faridah had also spent the money on mobile prepaid credit and lottery tickets.
Madam Chen finally discovered her helper’s wrongdoings when she tried to withdraw $300 on Sept 10. The transaction was declined, and she was shocked to discover she had only $244.65 left in her account.
When she confronted Faridah, the latter begged her not to lodge a police report, promising to pay off the debt if she let her continue working.
The elderly woman, however, pressed on with the police report at the advice of family members, who felt Faridah would repeat her actions once she ran out of money again.
According to Madam Chen, the stolen funds were allowance money given by her children.
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