Maid who helped loan sharks post advertisements on TikTok jailed 8 weeks and fined $30,000, faces extra month of jail if she fails to pay fine
Ida Yuliati posted advertisements between 14 June and 25 August 2023 after failing to repay an $890 loan
SINGAPORE — An Indonesian maid, Ida Yuliati, 43, was sentenced to eight weeks in jail on Tuesday (26 March) for using her TikTok account to promote the services of an unlicensed moneylender, to whom she owed money.
Local media outlet The Straits Times reported that Ida pleaded guilty to one count of assisting an unlicensed moneylender, and was also fined $30,000. She faces an extra month in jail if she fails to pay the fine.
She posted these advertisements between 14 June and 25 August 2023 after failing to repay a $890 loan she had taken from a company purportedly called Cashtank Financing Corporation.
A representative from Cashtank threatened to inform Ida's employer if she did not comply, The Straits Times reported.
How she become involved in the TikTok advertisements
Deputy Public Prosecutor Suriya Prakash said that the maid encountered an advertisement for loans on TikTok in February 2023. She clicked a WhatsApp link on the profile to inquire about obtaining a loan.
Later, she communicated with someone named "Sam", who claimed to represent Cashtank, a company supposedly registered in the Philippines.
According to The Straits Times, Ida then shared copies of her work permit and other details with Sam, including her employer's contact number. She took a loan of $445 on 16 February 2023 from Cashtank, and repaid it with an undisclosed amount as interest two months later.
She then took another loan of $890 on 6 June 2023 and faced difficulties repaying it.
Subsequently, a Cashtank employee named "John" contacted Ida and threatened to inform her employer if she did not post loan advertisements on TikTok.
Ida then created another account and shared its login details with "John". A picture of an unknown woman was uploaded as the profile photo, and a WhatsApp link was included.
This link led to a conversation with an account supposedly from an agency called "Credit 21". Later, Ida used this TikTok account to upload multiple advertisements that "John" had previously sent her via WhatsApp.
20 loan ads by unknown individuals uploaded to TikTok account
According to the DPP, in addition to Ida's posts, unknown individuals uploaded another 20 loan advertisements to the account.
By 28 August 2023, the account had 1,760 followers. Furthermore, Ida's 20 posts garnered 2,437 likes and were shared 173 times.
The police received more than ten reports between June and August 2023 regarding Ida's TikTok account promoting unlicensed moneylending activities. As a result, Ida was charged in court on 28 February.
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