Please help. I like to consider myself a good person. I am a father to two children and the head of a single income family. We were getting by okay, living with family while trying to get our lives back after relocating.
We were doing just that when a friend reconnected with me after 15 years needing help, I was there. This person lives overseas and it was during the height of the pandemic. Her husband had left her and their child behind and she was behind on her bills. She got kick out and was on the street. I had started to help as much as I could and that is where it escalated. Her son died in her arms from starvation, yes I confirmed it, and as a father myself I was heart broken for her. She had then mentioned that she had some land she could sell and would return money I had been sending her with interest. Naturally I believed her, no reason to doubt. Months went on and one issue after another delayed her sale. Needless to say I had been roped in thinking and believing she would follow through and send me the share she promised. I started taking out payday loans and title loans to help her and speed up the process, still nothing or more excuses and delays. I did start to have my doubts, but again I had minor confirmations that things would happen and work out.
Was I scammed? Some people I have talked to said YES.
I know I should have considered my own family, and I did. The amount of money she would have sent me would mean I could fully buy a house for my family. We would finally have our own place. That was my driving factor to keep helping this friend.
Now I am on the verge of losing everything, my family, car, job. Really if it was just me, I would get by and start over, but my own family will suffer and they should not for my own carelessness for wanting to be a good person and friend.
With all that, here I am looking for someone(s) to be as kind as generous as I have been to help me out of the debts I put myself into.
The lesson I have learned from this, is not to be uncaring and unhelpful, but to find other ways to help someone in need, knowing your own limitations.
Once again, please help me out of these debts so that I can provide for my own family without worry of losing everything.