SINGAPORE: A 24-year-old Singaporean woman recently shared on social media that she felt devastated after her grandmother lost all of their combined life savings, amounting to S$3,000, in a YouTrip scam.
Posting on the r/SingaporeRaw subreddit on Thursday (Dec 18), the woman said the incident left her emotionally and financially shattered. She explained that she had spent years patiently guiding her grandmother through the use of digital payment platforms such as PayNow, PayLah, Apple Pay and QR code payments, while consistently reminding her to stay “vigilant against scams” that often target elderly users.
Despite those precautions, her grandmother was still deceived. The woman said the matter was reported to the police, but they have yet to receive any updates. The bank later confirmed that the money had been transferred out and informed them that the funds “could not be reimbursed.”
“I was devastated and still am. I feel so exhausted from working so hard just to see our savings account wiped out back to S$0,” she wrote. She added that the money had been carefully set aside for practical and urgent needs. “I was saving to buy a proper laptop to be able to do work from home to accompany Grandma more. And the savings also included grandma’s payments for her medication.”
“I know money can always be earned back, and there’s no use crying over spilled milk, but to someone like me who lives paycheck to paycheck, that S$3K was my entire life. Grandma has been feeling sorry that she lost our savings, and some nights I even caught her quietly crying over it,” she said.
The woman also shared more about her upbringing, explaining that she and her grandmother have been each other’s only support for most of her life. Her parents were jailed when she was young, and she said her aunt has never visited or offered any help.
To ease the financial strain at home, she began working part-time at the age of 16. “I wanted to earn extra money for myself to not burden my grandma,” she wrote, adding that at the time, her grandmother was juggling jobs as a cleaner and at a drinks stall to make ends meet.
After graduating from polytechnic, she made the difficult decision to forgo university studies because they could not afford it, choosing instead to enter the workforce full-time. However, she said the transition was far from easy.
“The job market was brutal for someone with only a poly diploma like me. It seemed like companies are only keen on hiring university graduates,” she wrote. “It’s either that or I get offered only S$1.7 to S$1.9K as a base salary.”
Despite the financial and emotional strain, she stressed that she has never viewed her grandmother as a burden.
“I never thought of Grandma as a burden and remained thankful to her always because she’s been there for me when no one else was. We have no one else aside from each other.”
She ended her post on a weary but honest note, admitting that the year had taken a heavy toll on her mental and emotional well-being.
“I know good days will come eventually, but I am tired of waiting for it and tired of wishing it’ll come,” she wrote.
“This year has been extremely rough, and I am barely holding myself together. I keep on reminding myself that I am doing this for the sake of my Grandma because I love her so much and there’s no one else left in the world to be by my side except for her. But this year has been nothing short of tiring and frustrating. I really do hope 2026 will be a better year for me and Grandma.”
“24 is still young, better times will come.”
The woman’s post quickly struck a chord with readers, drawing more than 700 upvotes as people from all walks of life reached out to express their concern and support.
Several commenters offered to help her financially, with some volunteering to contribute money for a new laptop or to help cover her grandmother’s medication.
Others said they were willing to connect her with higher-paying job opportunities in hopes of easing her situation.
Meanwhile, those who couldn’t offer financial help sent heartfelt messages of encouragement. One said, “Stay strong sis. The best thing you can do is to learn from mistakes and keep going. Lots of people just give up and lapse back to old ways. 24 is still young; better times will come.”
Another shared, “Good luck. Things will get better. I too have lived paycheck to paycheck, also there were times in the past where I didn’t have money for 1 or 2 months, luckily I had a credit card for basic groceries to tide off a bit.
“I’m not saying that we are in the same boat, but now I’m in my mid-30s, things got better. A lot better. You just have to keep grinding and you’re a strong girl.”
A third added, “Don’t give up. I know it’s hard but don’t think that you are truly alone. There’s a lot of us going through equally tough or even worse times. Here’s wishing you a good 2026 and even greater future.”
In other news, a commuter has sparked outrage online after claiming that an aunty “smacked” his visibly disabled brother in a scramble for an MRT seat.
In a post on Reddit’s r/SMRTrabak forum, the commuter recounted that the woman, whom he believed to be from China, was initially third in line on the platform but ignored the queue and pushed her way onto the train before passengers had finished alighting.
