On one hand, having a maid can be incredibly convenient, since they can help with household chores and provide childcare.
On the other hand, it can be expensive and the process of hiring a maid can be difficult and time-consuming. Sometimes it gets so ‘expensive’ that they turn to a life of crime.
Stealing from the elderly
Elderly people are particularly vulnerable to theft due to their age and physical frailty. They may not be able to respond quickly to theft and may be more trusting than someone who is younger such as her maid.
According to Shin Min Daily News, a 76-year-old woman became a victim of such a crime.
A 41-year-old Maid by the name of Faridah was employed to take care of the elderly woman, every now and then the elderly employer instruct Faridah to go withdraw money from her card.
Instead of just helping the elderly draw money, she was drawing more for her own.
The first time she drew $500 for herself and got more and more brazen and eventually drew a total of $12,000 from her employer.
How she was caught?
The elderly woman started to notice that her maid was making expensive purchases such as clothing and even steaks.
The maid lied to the elderly woman claiming that she had won the lottery. The maid even started to grow an appetite and refused to eat ‘non-premium’ food.
In September 2022, the elder woman tried to withdraw $300 from her bank account but it was rejected as she had less than $300 left in her account.
She immediately confronted her maid who beg for mercy.
However, the family members urged the elderly woman to make a report and the maid was arrested the following day.
She was eventually sentenced to 7 months in jail.
Theft
The offence of theft under Section 379 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224 carries a jail term of up to 3 years, or a fine, or both.
Image Source: Farida Catur Lestari’s Tik Tok and Unsplash