Save Katrina from becoming homeless

“You don't manage people; you manage things. You lead people.”    -Admiral Grace Hopper

 

When we think of the characteristics of the great leaders in history, the ones that tower above the crowd are those who devote themselves solely to their cause, which they value far greater than themselves: they think of nothing else, abstaining from all worldly desires, depriving themselves of all human needs, in a form of rare asceticism that allows them to transcend the hurdles before them, focusing them on their mission.

 

Katrina Xu* is the epitome of what it means to be a leader. Selfless and egoless, sleeping less than four hours a day and overworked, she cares little about receiving credit for the sacrifices she has made. In fact, attribution of that sort has no meaning to her. Instead, she is singularly focused on her goal: to prevent any more people from experiencing the kind of trauma she had previously endured.

 

Katrina is the founder and creator of the bilingual Global Anti-Scam Organization (GASO), the premier online resource that serves to support those worldwide affected by a growing romance-investment scam termed “pig-butchering” or “shazhupan” (殺豬盤), as it is termed by the Chinese syndicates in Southeast Asia behind these scams. The majority of the victims who come to the site are single women, often urban professionals, in their 30’s and 40’s, struggling with depression and suicidal ideation in the wake of discovering that they have been defrauded of their savings, sometimes left bankrupt, and even worse, also being sextorted by their scammers. When the victims arrive at the site’s live chat, which serves as GASO’s medium for counseling and guiding the victims, it is clear that the self-esteem of these victims are shattered and their spirits are broken.

 

It is at this critical juncture where Katrina and her team steps in.

 

Katrina is all too familiar with the plight of these shaken victims. Following an overdose of sleeping pills in the aftermath of a romance-investment scam that left her financially destitute and emotionally battered, in which her romantic interest-turned-scammer taunted her daily, threatening to blackmail her with the intimate photos he coerced her to send to him, Katrina woke up in the hospital. Emboldened, she vowed to use her second chance at life to help romance-investment victims like her so that they too could find guidance, healing and recovery.

 

However, it is now Katrina who needs our help.

 

All the while sacrificing her own time, energy, and effort to support others, Katrina was forced to neglect her own personal issues.

 

After being coerced to not only deplete her savings but to also max out loans from friends, family, private loan companies and banks to fund the fraudulent investment, Katrina was thrown into heavy debt in the aftermath of her scam. She now finds herself on the brink of homelessness as she enters her own Catch-22: while she currently lives in the apartment that she owns, she is now finding that she will need to sell it, as it is her only asset. In fact, earlier last week, the apartment was listed for sale, but the real estate agent removed the listing, concerned that she wouldn’t have a place to live if it were sold.

 

And yet, because of the debt following the scam she experienced, she would need to pay off these bank loans in order for her to buy a smaller apartment to live in. At the same time, because of the loans taken out from the scam, her credit score is very poor, which doesn't make her eligible for taking out more loans.

 

Worst, she can’t even rent another apartment in Singapore, as it would be too expensive.

 

Katrina is now in dire need of help and is yet to receive any. She has given so much to others at her own expense. And so, we want to give her the time, space, and security to help her stay in her current apartment, or find new housing, whichever is more financially reasonable. We want Katrina to have one less thing to worry about in her life; of all the things burdening her in her life, finding a place to live should not be one of them.

 

In addition to this pressing need, it would be wonderful to give Katrina some financial security so she can make it through the next few months as her pay comes in. Let's raise $20,000 for her so that she can pay off her first bank loan.

 

Please see Katrina's personal narrative.  If you have been moved by her story and her devotion to helping alleviate the suffering of other victims, and would like to help her not worry about being homeless, please consider making a contribution.