Alleged babysitting scammer still advertising services despite police report, says victim
Nur Fatin Syahirah Mohd Faizal, 28, one of the alleged victims, said the woman requested an initial payment of about RM450 followed by another RM500 before she was due to begin work.
SHAH ALAM - A woman accused of posing as a babysitter and childcare worker to collect upfront payments from parents is believed to still be advertising her services online, despite a police report and allegations from multiple victims.
The latest known case allegedly occurred just last Sunday, when a woman transferred RM950 to the suspect after engaging her to care for a child with special needs who requires tube feeding.
Nur Fatin Syahirah Mohd Faizal, 28, one of the alleged victims, said the woman requested an initial payment of about RM450 followed by another RM500 before she was due to begin work.
"When the day came for her to start, she gave an excuse that her child had broken a bone and she could not come," Nur Fatin, who goes by Syira, said when contacted by Sinar Daily.
Syira said the latest victim contacted her after a social media post about her own experience gained attention, prompting several others to come forward with similar allegations.
She claimed the woman had also offered services ranging from childcare to car rental and massage therapy through Facebook groups, typically requesting full or partial payment upfront before allegedly failing to provide the promised service.
Syira herself lodged a police report last month after discovering that RM460 she had paid to register her two-year-old child at a nursery in the Southville area had allegedly never been submitted to the centre.
According to Syira, the suspect had initially approached her through a Facebook comment offering babysitting services and presented herself as a teacher at the nursery.
The woman even encouraged Syira to contact the nursery to verify her employment, which the centre confirmed at the time.
"She told me that if I registered my child under her name as a staff member, I could get a cheaper rate. Because she said she worked there, I trusted her and paid the RM460," Syira said.
Her suspicions were raised one morning when the woman asked her to send her child later than usual and subsequently failed to answer repeated calls.
Syira then went directly to the nursery, where another teacher told her that her child had never been registered as a student.
"When she came out, she took me downstairs and told me to leave my child at her house first, saying she would take the child to the nursery later. She claimed the other teacher did not know because she was new," she said.
Syira said she later came across another person's social media post about an alleged scam and recognised the same telephone number.
She said the nursery subsequently terminated the woman's employment after being shown evidence of the alleged misconduct, with the dismissal taking effect around early July.
Syira also raised concerns about her child's wellbeing while under the woman's care, saying the two-year-old displayed noticeable behavioural changes following the incident.
According to her, the child became highly emotional and distressed whenever they approached the lift at their condominium and would run away from the car upon arriving at the lobby.
"I do not know what happened to my child while they were inside the house," she said.
Syira said a video she had of her child during the care period, which she initially regarded as reassuring, also appeared concerning when she reviewed it later.
Despite the police report, Syira said she had yet to receive further updates or have her statement taken by the investigating officer.
She said her husband followed up with the officer recently to seek further action.
"From what I understand, the investigating officers need to take the necessary action before an arrest can be made. My husband may meet the investigating officer again soon," she said.
Syira said she had provided the authorities with the woman's full name and other details to assist their investigation.
She also managed to confront the woman with the help of a neighbour, during which the woman allegedly acknowledged the attention surrounding the viral social media posts but acted as though she did not recognise Syira.
According to Syira, the woman promised to return her money by 2pm that day.
"As soon as I mentioned that my husband was coming, she got up and left," she said.
Syira said the woman later lodged a counter-complaint alleging that she had been assaulted during the encounter.
She denied the allegation and said she subsequently lodged another police report to refute the claim.
Syira believes the woman may still be soliciting customers online, saying an advertisement linked to her was recently spotted in a Facebook group under a changed account name.
She said she planned to lodge a complaint with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in an effort to have the account flagged or blocked.
Syira urged parents to independently verify the identity and credentials of people offering childcare services online and to check account details carefully before making upfront payments.
"I want people to be careful and check the account details before transferring any money. People need to be aware and do their own checks before making any payment," she said.
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