Fundraiser organiser admits to loaning donations for interest, claims to have done it out of goodwill
A woman came under public scrutiny after repeatedly delaying the release of donations collected for the family of a deceased Vietnamese man who worked in Singapore.
She later cited work-related delays and admitted to lending out part of the donated money to earn interest for the recipients.
Instead of easing concerns, her explanation triggered further backlash, and she eventually transferred the funds to the deceased’s family.
Fundraiser launched for deceased worker’s family
The controversy began after the death of a Vietnamese worker, Mr Nhan, in October.
He left behind a pregnant wife, three children, and elderly parents in Vietnam.
On 20 Oct, a woman, referred to as Ms X, initiated a fundraiser for Mr Nhan’s family on Facebook.
Source: Facebook
The fundraiser concluded on 5 Nov, and Ms X announced that the effort accumulated S$27,823 in donations.
She even included a photo of an Excel sheet detailing PayNow transactions from donors.
Source: Facebook
Checks by MS News revealed that both posts have since been taken down.
Donors question payout delay
Concerns arose when donors realised that the funds had not been transferred to the family weeks after the fundraiser ended.
On 9 Dec, a Facebook user said they had contacted Mr Nhan’s family, who confirmed they had not received any money.
Source: Facebook
The user pointed out that the donation period had ended several days earlier and that Mr Nhan’s memorial service had already taken place.
Meanwhile, Mr Nhan’s wife had also given birth.
This sparked questions about Ms X’s intentions and the reason for the prolonged delay.
Organiser admits lending donations for interest
In response to mounting questions, Ms X explained on 9 Dec that she had been held up by work commitments, including tax reporting, and difficulties preparing bank statements.
She also revealed that she had lent some of the donated money — along with her own funds — to a friend to earn higher interest, which she claimed was intended to benefit the family.
Source: Facebook
She estimated that the arrangement would generate about S$500 in interest by 15 Dec.
“To be frank, if I hadn’t stepped forward to call for donations, that money wouldn’t have come,” Ms X stated in her defence.
She maintained that she was not being “greedy” and said she did not have time to argue with netizens accusing her of holding on to the funds.
Public calls for transparency
Her explanation was met with scepticism from donors and netizens.
One Facebook user questioned whether it was reasonable to lend out donated money, even if it was supposedly done in the recipients’ interest, and whether the family had agreed to the plan.
The same user urged others not to harass Ms X, saying this would allow her to focus on settling and transferring the funds as soon as possible.
Others echoed calls for accountability, with one commenter saying that “transparent responsibility” was expected when handling donated money.
Source: Facebook
Another suggested that Ms X should have asked donors to transfer funds directly to the family if she knew she would be too busy to manage the payout.
Source: Facebook
Funds eventually transferred
Following the public outcry, Ms X announced on 11 Dec that she had borrowed money from friends to transfer the full donation amount to Mr Nhan’s wife.
She admitted that while her intentions were good, she had handled the situation poorly and acted without consulting anyone, which caused the issue to escalate.
“I sincerely apologise to Nhan’s family for this delay,” she wrote on Facebook. “I hope Nhan’s family and Nhan’s wife understand.”
In her post, she included the alleged names of donors, along with the date and amount of each contribution.
Also read: S’pore man jailed after scamming 12,600 people of over S$106K through fake donation scam
S’pore man jailed after scamming 12,600 people of over S$106K through fake donation scam
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Featured image adapted from TheSmartLocal and Nguyễn Ngọc Dương Xuân on Facebook.
