EMPLOYERS need to remain vigilant when hiring foreign maids without the help of agents to avoid being cheated, said Malaysian Maid Employers Association president (Mama) Engku Ahmad Fauzi, Berita Harian reported.

He said now that Malaysians could hire foreign domestic helpers directly from January 1 next year under the Online Maid System, there were people try to cheat employers.

“In this case, employers need to be more cautious when choosing their maids especially when there’s money involved, such as bearing the cost of getting them to Malaysia from the source country. There are those who are trying to get money the easy way.  

“This is especially for those maid who are from rural villages and are not sure how to organise their journey to Malaysia. Therefore, it is better for employers not to allow them to travel alone.

“It is best for employers to go to the source country to avoid the maid being manipulated by a third party,” he said when commenting on the new Immigration Department foreign maid hiring system that will start tomorrow.

Under the new system, employers need only to pay RM1,635 to the Immigration Department as levy, pass change, deposit and processing, compared to between RM3,000 and RM18,000 when going through agencies.

Engku Ahmad Fauzi said the government initiative was timely to help employers reduce the cost of hiring maids, which can be too high when going through a middleman.

He also said there should be some form of agreement drawn between employer and maid to protect both parties when problems arise. – December 31, 2017.