SINGAPORE: A woman has shared her devastating experience on the NTU Confessions Facebook Page, revealing how she lost her entire savings and her mum’s retirement funds after her fiancé fell victim to a scam.
In her post, the woman explained that she transferred all her savings into a joint account with her fiancé last year as they planned to buy a house. The money was intended for renovation costs and application fees.
However, her fiancé later withdrew the sum, claiming his family had “emergency needs.” At the time, the woman believed his story and didn’t hesitate to help.
“Then he told me it was not enough and asked for help. I had no more left and borrowed from my mum’s retirement savings. Thinking it’s for his family needs,” she explained.
“However, at the end of last year, he confessed to me that he suspected he got into a scam and has reported it. All my money and my mum’s money also got into the scam. I broke down,” she added.
After the confession, the woman admitted that she “felt suicidal” and was consumed with guilt, particularly over the sacrifices her mum had made.
Her mum had worked tirelessly in physically demanding jobs to save for retirement, and now that the money was gone, it devastated the woman to see her mum working hard again.
“She could have retired now, but she’s working cause her retirement savings are gone. I’m crying so hard on the inside, but I have to be fine on the surface,” she said.
When she swore to her mother that she would ‘earn back’ the money she had taken, her mother told her, “It’s okay; you don’t need to return it. I know you’re affected, and money can be earned again as long as we’re alive.”
“The only thought that kept me alive was, if I die, my mum will have nobody else to take care of her because I’ve taken her retirement savings,” she shared.
“She constantly asked me not to overthink if a fall into depression would be terrible. She said that she only started saving last time when she was 40 and managed to bring me up. So it’s still early for me now to start anew,” she wrote.
But the woman said that the more her mum comforted her, the ‘more horrible’ she felt. She had also broken up with her fiancé, and while he promised to return the money, she no longer wanted anything to do with him.
Since then, the woman has resolved to take on two jobs to repay her mother and rebuild their savings. However, she feels the experience has permanently shattered her trust in relationships and her hopes for marriage.
“I can no longer find a partner and settle down for marriage. I will probably stay single for life,” she said. “I’m sorry for ranting here, but I have no idea where I can vent this. I needed to get this off me; if not, I’m worried I might lose my sanity. Thank you for hearing me out.”
“Take time to focus on the self-healing process”
In the comments section, many offered the woman heartfelt words of encouragement, urging her to stay strong and reminding her that she wasn’t alone in such a devastating and painful situation.
One netizen said, “Please be strong; things will improve with time. Doing the unthinkable does not solve problems; it only creates more. Give yourself time to grieve over the relationship and start rebuilding your life. You can do this!”
Another offered her support, writing, “Text me if you need anyone to talk to, stay positive.” A third commented, “Hugs. So sorry to hear this. Money lost can be earned back. Stay positive. Your mum needs you… stay strong!”
Others also sought to ease her guilt, reassuring her that it wasn’t her fault for trusting her partner with the money in the first place.
One netizen wrote, “Trusting someone on the verge of becoming your life partner was not wrong, even if it didn’t work out eventually. Recovering from broken trust in people will take time. In the meantime, take time to focus on the self-healing process. It will be a journey.”
In other news, a 26-year-old man took to social media to share the emotional pain he experienced after discovering that his ex-girlfriend cheated on him and showed no remorse.
In a heartfelt post on the r/SingaporeRaw forum on Wednesday (Jan 22), the man explained how their relationship began through the dating app Bumble.
Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)