SCAMMED: The story of Julie, a Burmese migrant worker who was fired after paying $4500 in agency fees.
In our social media post, Is Singapore Scam City for Migrant Workers, we shed light on The Churn — a predatory cycle where unscrupulous agents charge migrant workers exorbitant recruitment fees, only for employers to dismiss them over minor issues. These agents then replace the dismissed workers with new migrant workers, collecting thousands more from others desperate for jobs.
In this MyVoice story, Julie (not her real name), one of the scam victims and now a resident at HOME’s Women’s Shelter, shares her experience during a writing workshop conducted at the shelter. Her story offers a glimpse into the human cost of unethical recruitment practices — and the resilience of those who survive them.
I’m Julie. I want to explain why I needed to come to Singapore to make money for my family, and tell you what happened to me so I can hopefully stop this from happening to others.
Julie at our shelter’s writing workshop.
I had eight family members including me. But then my eldest sister got married and gave us a pretty baby girl, and we became ten. My family lived happily together until the political situation in Myanmar got worse and worse. My elder sister and I were both teachers. We didn’t earn much but it was enough, until in 2024 my elder brothers were forced to go into the military. We were afraid, so we planned to send them abroad to the nearest country, India, the easiest to get to as my brothers don’t have a passport. It is very hard for them to find work in India so my relatives have to support them financially. I am sad about this, because it is normally not their duty to do so.
Because of this, I tried to find work in another country to make more money. My family collected all our money to pay for me to come to Singapore to work. First I went to Singapore on a visit pass to see my cousin who had been working in Singapore as a nurse aide for two years. I improved my English and studied how Singaporeans work. I realised it would be very hard to find a job as a Myanmar citizen because of the quota. So I left Singapore again and applied for a job in Singapore through an agency.
And then a lot of bad things happened to me that I want to tell you about. When it happened, I was so stressed I could not sleep or eat. I didn’t even drink a single drop of water. I felt hopeless and guilty, as I spent so much of my family’s money to come to Singapore.
Julie’s agent informs her about the agency fees.
I came to Singapore to work as a receptionist in a beauty salon. When I passed my interview, my agent told me that I had to work 8 or 9 hours per day at a beauty salon. I arrived here on the 31 July 2025. When I arrived, my agent came to meet me in front of the medical check up centre and took S$4500 dollars in cash as agent fees. My cousin met me and my agent to hand me the money in cash. The agent didn’t give me any receipt. After that, he booked a taxi for me and I had to go to my work place. My cousin also went back to her work place. When I arrived at the work place, it wasn’t a beauty salon but a massage shop. I was shocked, but I was afraid to lose my job as I had just paid all that money in agent fees.
Julie was deceived about the nature of work and her working hours.
From 1 to 5 August I had to work from 8am till 2am without any proper break. From 6 to 22 August I worked from 9am to around 2am. I slept on the massage beds in the treatment rooms. On 17 August my employer tried to send me to another massage shop, she said that their shop was closing down. I told my employer I did not want to work in a massage shop, but she didn’t listen to me. I asked my agent for help as well but he did nothing for me. He cooperated with my employer, and told me to do what my employer said.
On my IPA (In Principle Approval letter, a document issued by Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower to new workers from abroad to enter the country that shows that have been approved to work in a certain job) it was stated that I was a ‘food processing worker’ but actually I wasn’t. I asked my agent about this but I never got a reply. On 22 August I was told by my employer that it was my last day of work and she would pay my salary on 23 August. She bought an air ticket for me to return to my country, Myanmar, on 24 August.
But I didn’t want to go back home, I had paid S$4500 dollars to work in Singapore! I went to HOME instead, and with their help I went to MOM (Ministry of Manpower) to file a complaint. During the investigation my officer called my agent and my employer but they said they didn’t know me. It’s been almost a month now and they are still investigating. It has been a difficult time and I am under a lot of pressure. But I am glad that I can stay at the shelter and that HOME is helping me. I wish I can get a good job and that I can get my agent fee back soon.
As this is my first time working in Singapore I didn’t know anything about the laws here and MOM’s regulations. I now know I should have checked my IPA letter carefully, especially because it was written in English, and not Burmese. I know I should have asked for a receipt for the money I paid, as getting proof is very important for everything, even if it is a single penny but especially for S$4500 dollars. I have learned that I have to check everything carefully before I work. And I have learned to ask for help from trusted organisations because it is so hard to face things alone. I had thought that in Singapore everyone would be a good person. But not only in Singapore, but all over the world, there will always be bad guys and good guys. Don’t believe everyone!
Messages from the agent when Julie tried to escalate the matter to MOM.
The only thing I can do now is pray. I try to give myself courage and tell myself a thousand times that I am not a bad person. When I talk to my family, I try not to cry in front of them. They give me support and tell me it was not my fault, that I was a victim. I am so blessed with such a family. I am also blessed with good MOM officers that try to help me. They listened to my story and also said it was not my fault, that I was a victim. They offered me a chance to look for a new employer. I am very happy about this.
I don‘t know what will happen next but I am hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. There might still be a suitable job with good people for me. Even though my MOM officer tried to get my agency fee back, my agent and employer refuse to return it, they claim they don’t know me. Still, I am happy to have met good officers that try to help me, because if they don’t succeed it will be a big failure for me. I am happy to be given another chance to work here in Singapore and will do my best to make money and hopefully pay my family back and support them.
I also need to thank my caseworker at HOME, without her I would not have had the strength to make a claim for my case. Whenever I feel hopeless, I message her, and she gives me hope that I might get justice and my rights. I admire all the volunteers from HOME that help me. It has really felt like I am home. I want to be like them, and give help and love to weaker ones. If I have to leave Singapore, all these people will remain in my heart forever.