Test of character
Over a year ago, I became a victim of a scam.
A colleague invited me to invest in his uncle’s “investment/lending” fund. Careless and aggressive, I got enticed by the potentially high returns. Aside from my own, I even gambled money borrowed from a relative. The transactions were covered by contracts and post-dated checks so it’s probably good, I thought to myself. I was able to receive payouts for a few months until the defaults started in early 2020.
Later, I found out that my colleague’s uncle went missing and cannot be reached. More people were scammed and putting the blame on this colleague. Some were already discussing legal remedies yet, as of now, none has been put into action. I asked my colleague a few times about the matter but even she had limited information on his uncle.
When the monthly payouts stopped, it was understandable at first. I thought the “business” was only having a hard time considering the pandemic. But after several months without assurance of repayments and clue of the delinquent’s whereabouts, I was convinced that I fell victim to a scam.
It was easy to blame my colleague for this mess. And it was surprising that even she (and some of her relatives) was also a victim.
But sooner than later, it was all good. Why?
First, the only probable course of action which is filing a case is too much hassle for me. Even if they would be handling the matter, I am too lazy to go through that. And even if they can file a case, I don’t think I could still recover anything.
Second, turn the world upside down, and it was entirely my fault. It was natural to be blinded by high gains but I was stupid enough to be reckless.
Lastly, I don’t think my colleague intended to deceive people considering that we were in the same organization. And it does not make sense that she and some family members were also schemed (I’m assuming it’s true). But this isn’t to say she did nothing wrong because it was her fault as much as mine, and the others. She trusted her uncle, vouched for him, and with her, brought us down. That being said, I’d like to believe that she was in good faith.
I lost short of half-million in this dishonest scheme. Now, I still have an outstanding loan of six digits. It’s all good like I’ve said but not without a charge it to experience remark. It was a call to not be too aggressive when it comes to financial matters and to always assess risk-reward. It was a reminder to always believe in the goodness of people. And most importantly, it was a test to teach me to make peace with the consequences of my decisions and move on.