Married man, 43, borrowed S$60,000 to give & spend on Toa Payoh masseuse, who then leaves S'pore

A 43-year-old married man in Singapore said he borrowed around S$60,000 from banks and licensed moneylenders over six months to give to and spend on a masseuse he had developed feelings for.

She then left the country and he has been unable to recover his money.

Deng, a logistics worker, told Shin Min Daily News that he first met the 44-year-old masseuse, surnamed Li, at a massage parlour in Toa Payoh on Dec. 27, 2025.

He said: "I visited her several times, and she would always take the initiative to chat with me, get to know my situation, and come to me for help when things happened. Gradually, we started calling each other brother and sister."

The two then entered into a relationship at the end of February 2026.

"Suffocating under the debt"

In March, Deng noticed Li seemed increasingly distressed.

According to Shin Min, when pressed, she revealed she was in financial trouble.

He said: "She had apparently borrowed a large sum of money from relatives and friends to renovate her new house in China, and was burdened with a huge debt that was suffocating her."

She allegedly told him creditors were showing up at her home and even chasing her mother for repayment.

Deng then decided to lend her money.

He claimed he first sent S$5,017 via a local remittance company to Li's mother.

Li then asked him to withdraw cash and transfer it directly into her account.

"She would then transfer money to her mother in front of me, so I didn't suspect anything," he said.

He transferred money to her over five to six transactions, totalling at least S$40,000.

He also spent around S$20,000 on her, including boosting her sales targets and buying her a new iPhone.

Deng said that since his wife managed his salary, he had little cash on hand and had to turn to banks and licensed moneylenders to fund the loans.

"In just half a year I owed about S$60,000 in debt," he told Shin Min.

Broke up, can't get the money back

The couple later fell out, and Deng asked for the money back.

He asked for just S$20,000 back at first, not wanting to pressure her too much.

"She initially agreed, but later went back on her word," he said.

When he went to find her at her workplace, the massage parlour was empty.

According to Deng, Li had previously worked at a massage parlour at Lorong 4 Toa Payoh, but after Shin Min reported on illicit services there and the police raided it, she allegedly relocated to Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4.

"Now she seems to have left and returned to her home country," he said.

A colleague of Li's confirmed to Shin Min that she had left Singapore and could no longer be contacted.

Deng said he shared his story as a warning to others.

"This time I really spent a lot of money to learn a lesson," he said.

Troubled marriage

According to Deng, he and his wife are estranged.

He said he is married legally by name, as he and his wife have not spoken for a long time and sleep in separate rooms under the same roof.

He grew closer to the masseuse as a result, he admitted.

Deng added that he even went to China with Li previously.

He was there to help her break off her relationship with her boyfriend, who apparently treated her harshly, and to meet her parents.

He said: "She also told me that this was the first time she had brought her boyfriend home to meet her parents."

Spent money on booking her services

Deng said he spent S$600 to book her massage services for five hours on the eve of Chinese New Year this year.

This was after she vomited and had diarrhoea, and he wanted her to take the time instead to rest and recuperate.

He said: "It cost S$50 per hour, plus a tip of S$70 per hour."

"I later took her to a hotel, just so she could rest and not work so hard," he added.