This is an all-word post so if you get bored easily with long word-only posts, it’s best to skip it. Else this is how I would detail a typical con man with lame excuses. No names and photos will be included as the situation has not evolved to a need for these at the moment. However should it deteriorate, I will do so as I see fit. For those of you who knows the whole story, please do not put any names and identities as well for the characters if you would like to write a comment. Keep things anonymous, for now.

It all started like 1.5 years ago. A friend of mine met this guy in her previous company. This guy was exceptionally charming and caring. Everything was so perfectly smooth, as quoted from my friend’s word, they were (note, WERE) so compatible that they never quarrel at all. The relationship went steady almost immediately. He was described as so caring, considerate and patient that I felt like I was a slime of mud from some backwater place in a swamp.

Being this is not a happy ending story, of course, something happened. Just right after a couple of months into the relationship, my friend trusted the guy well enough to entrust him with her ATM card to help her withdraw money every month for personal usage and for household maintenance. That was the first stupid move that gave this guy a chance to take advantage of it. I’m sure you all know what happened then. Right, he withdrew all but RM15.00++ of her money out of her paycheck drawing account and he withdrew it in small amounts like in RM3,000. She never knew what was happening behind the scene. Until one day when Cinderella woke up and decided to do some chores for herself for once to get money for herself and the household for that month, baammm… she didn’t even see it coming, at all. Imagine if you think you have almost RM20,000 in your account and then one day you check and found out what’s left of it is just RM15. Describing it as “hit by a truck” is just peanuts.

Then they went through the turmoil of asking for explanation, giving lame excuses, denying, pretend to tell the truth, asking for more details, some more lies, some hipocritical explanations, more lies, ignorance, and then, FORGIVEN. YES! FORGIVEN, for no concrete reasons and apology, at all!!! Of course being the good friend I am, I did injected some comments and references and ideas and opinions here and there, but she just wouldn’t listen. Maybe because the guy was too over-handsome that made her lost her judgement. Or maybe ok, she loves him a lot. So fine, I told her to be warned that if this incident is being let go easily, it will definitely happen again. I said, mark my words. For another 1.5 months, he gathered a lump sum of RM15,000 and returned it to her, and she wasn’t even allowed to ask questions like where he got the money, and what was it used for and other questions like that. Omg, how could you trust such a person??!!

Well it was her decision afterall, and it wasn’t something that I can influence much as well. So they just went on on their path. MARK MY WORDS, again. 2 months later, she found out that her online bank account was barred due to limit reached for wrong password invalid login attempts. She confronted him and he wouldn’t admit at first. Then it was only after at least 24 hours that, he came up with some lame excuses (AGAIN!) and admitted to the attempt to login to her account discreetly and intending to transfer her funds. He said he needs to use the money for his mum’s medical fees and his brother’s tuition fees. For all we know (including her), she has never met his mum or brother or for the matter of fact, anyone from his family! And you call this a ‘relationship’? This is totally hillarious! She also told me that prior to this, she has already lent him money for his job which he has to fork out money first before able to claim back from the company. And to add to the list of ‘trust atrocities’ he has committed, again he used the ATM trick and got another extra RM3,000. Everything totals up to at least RM10,000.

It’s been 2 months since the last transaction and there’s still no sign of money returning, not even for those withdrawn without permission and those borrowed. Frankly saying, I think this relationship has long ended before the second con attempt. It should have stopped at the first attempt. But she is in such a serious state of denial that she isn’t willing to let go of the relationship based on all the ‘crimes’ he has committed only. She wanted the so-called truth behind all these. I wished her good luck. I can only say I will lend a helping hand when she needs a friend. But I can’t make her realize that she is taking yet another huge risk of being cheated again, that she is giving him another chance to betray the trust that she bestows upon him. She can only realize this by herself. And to make matters worse, he’s actually using her car 24hrs. If he IS a con man (which I think he is, conning both money and love), think of all the tricks that he could pull to make it ‘disappear’.

At this point, I still think there’s nothing much I can do. If anyone makes it until this part of the post, please tell me if you have a different opinion on how I can ‘help’ or help my friend. I have given up talking the sense into her or reasoning with her. As a good friend, I just don’t wanna see her sink.