SINGAPORE: A Chinese woman has taken to social media to warn others about an alleged overseas employment scam after claiming that her salary was withheld while she was working as a singer in Singapore.
The woman, identified as Guo Liping (transliterated from Mandarin) from Sichuan, China, shared her experience in two videos titled “Singapore Job Scam” on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu.
In the videos, Guo recounted how she travelled to Singapore to work as a resident singer in a restaurant and bar from late June to mid-September this year, only to find herself caught in a salary dispute and eventually dismissed without pay.
Speaking to Channel 8 News, Guo said she had been contacted by an agent on June 14 through a mutual friend in Chengdu. She trusted the agent as he had been a long-time acquaintance on WeChat. Believing she could earn good money while experiencing Singapore’s culture, Guo accepted the offer.
“The other party told me that my job content was to play the piano and sing every day, and promised me a daily salary of 800 yuan (about S$145), in addition to daily tips and commissions from song requests,” she said.
After agreeing to the terms, Guo flew to Singapore on Jun 26. However, she soon realised something was amiss. She received her work permit details only a day before departure, and upon arriving in Singapore, she began working that very night. Her accommodation was also substandard, as she was only provided a sofa to sleep on.
Guo’s first major concern arose when she saw that her work permit listed a monthly salary of S$500, far below the more than 20,000 yuan (S$3,650) that the agent had promised—about seven times less than what she was told. Although she questioned the discrepancy, she chose to continue working out of trust.
In the second month, Guo said she did receive her promised daily rate of 800 yuan. However, she never received any of the commissions from song requests that were part of her agreement.
“I asked the boss, but he said that all the money had been paid to the agent,” Guo said. “It wasn’t until the third month that the store manager suddenly notified everyone that S$200 would be deducted from each person because we accepted tips.”
When Guo confronted the agent about the deductions, she said she was fired and denied 32 days of salary, amounting to more than 30,000 yuan (S$5,500). She was also evicted from her dormitory the following night.
“When I asked my boss for my salary, he told me to go to the agency, saying that the stage was contracted to them and salaries were paid by the agency,” she said. “Both sides were passing the buck. When I asked for my salary back, I was threatened and maliciously slandered.”
Guo filed a report with Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Sept 4 and attended her first mediation session on Sep 16. However, her employer did not send a representative. She returned to China on Sep 17 and is now seeking legal recourse through Singapore’s Employment Claims Tribunal.
She explained that her decision to share her experience online was to warn others considering overseas jobs. “Be sure to keep your eyes open, understand all the job details in detail, and obtain a legal work permit before going to the local area,” she said.
The Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) has confirmed Guo’s case. A spokesperson said the organisation helped mediate the dispute between Guo and her former employer and assisted her in filing her employment claim.
“As the two parties failed to reach a settlement, the claimant was issued a claim referral certificate on September 30 this year to register with the Employment Claims Tribunal for adjudication,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that no other employees had filed claims against the same employer.
TADM also urged all employees working in Singapore to seek assistance if they face employment disputes.
