A Malaysian woman has gone viral after sharing her experience of lending RM14,000 to her then-boyfriend, only to be left blindsided when he refused to repay the final RM2,000 he had promised her as part of a birthday gift.
The woman, now in her mid-20s, revealed that at just 21 years old, she used her personal savings—not for travel or luxury, but to help her boyfriend who claimed he was facing financial hardship. During their relationship, she gifted him a watch worth over RM1,000 for his birthday. However, when it came time for hers, he offered to contribute RM2,000 towards a new iPhone.
“He said, ‘I’ll chip in RM2,000, but I don’t have it now—so I’ll owe you first.’ I believed him,” she wrote.
That RM2,000 was added to the RM14,000 she had already lent him. After their breakup, her ex slowly repaid RM12,000 over three years. But when she recently asked about the final RM2,000, he responded coldly: “Why should I repay something I promised when we were together?”
The woman said she was stunned by his response.
“I didn’t care about the interest. I just wanted him to keep his word. When we were together, I didn’t hesitate to help him. But now, he treats my trust like a joke.”
Her post has sparked a wave of support online, with many netizens sharing similar experiences and warning others not to become “ATM partners” in relationships. The hashtag #别再当提款机 (“Don’t Be an ATM”) has gained traction on social media.
The woman ended her post not with bitterness, but with a powerful message:
“It’s not about the money. It’s about how someone you once trusted can easily walk away from a promise.”
