Help! I lent ex-colleague lots money to settle her utility/spouse drinking/gambling/Ah Long debts fr 1992. She slowly repay $100/mth but in btw nv repay for 1.5 yr! At times she sold me her shoes, ?

Hi, I have similar experience but not exactly same issue as you. I loan my friend's bro money as start up capital and all in all, was cheated $30K. To make it worse, years later, I came to realise that my friend may have a part to play in the whole scam but there is no clear evidence. Felt stupid enough to place so much trust in her and almost all my hard earned money gone. I feel your heartache however, since legal means also can't help, the best way is to start afresh... Dwelling in it only cause yourself countless sleepless nights, which goes on for 2 yrs+ for me. I have since then moved on and treat it as a SUPER EXPENSIVE lesson! Instead of dwelling on what is lost, think of how you can grow your fund with your existing savings. All the best to you and may 2019 be a better year for you.

Also, stop buying whatever branded goods from her that she cannot come up with receipt if you cannot even distinguish if those are genuine stuff.

When you lend to friends, relatives or colleagues, you should be prepared not to get back your money. There's little you can do to get back your money without ruining the existing relationship. Lending them gives them a short breather to continue the habit later on; lending them is not helping anyone at all. In the future, you should be prudent in lending (small sums) and refer them to NGOs/counsellors to seek help.