Help Soumi survive after she lost her life savings to a scam

Hey all,

My name is Keir and I am a friend of Soumi's.

Soumi and I first met in a writer's group. Neither of us knew many other desi writers at the time, so finding each other meant so much! After we hit it off, she became one of the most important people in my publishing journey. Soumi supported me through my writing woes as my critique partner and later, when I became a literary agent, Soumi stuck by me through all my doubts and every moment of hardship as I chipped away at an industry that didn't seem to want queer, brown kids like me. She is an invaluable part of my life and has been a true friend through thick and thin.

When Soumi reached out about her situation, it was already dire, but there was no way for her to use GFM as she is an Indian in Korea right now and unable to meet the GFM requirements to start her own (GFM is not available in South Korea or India). Thus, I am doing this on her behalf.

Though the funds raised here will be received by me (to meet the GFM requirements), Soumi will receive them immediately via wire transfer directly to her bank account in Korea. I will post receipts/updates every time we transfer.

That's it from me, but I hope you can spare some more time to hear from Soumi. Below is Soumi's message:

"Hi, my name is Soumi Roy, and I am a low-income recent PhD graduate and an author. I’ve been going back and forth for days about whether or not to post this. But after everything that’s happened, I’ve realized that survival has to come before pride.

I recently fell victim to a “pig-butchering” scam, a type of long-con that takes advantage of emotionally vulnerable people, that drained my entire life savings of 54.5 million KRW (~US$37,000). I trusted the wrong person at a time when I was trying to send the money home to my dependent, elderly parents and was trying to move out of my one room apartment, where the ceiling is leaking and affecting my health.

As someone who is neurodivergent (ADHD, anxiety, and depression) and an immigrant living in Korea with limited support, I was extremely vulnerable to emotional grooming. I don’t have family here, and my circle of friends is small. I just wanted to find a way to send money to support my family back home, and live a stable life.

Now I’m trying to survive for the sake of myself and my elderly parents--my father 79, my mother 72, both retired. We don’t have a financial safety net. My mother has severe degenerative joint disease with spinal spondylitis and is preparing for a knee transplant (~6 lakh INR or US$7,000). If anything were to happen to them—or even to me—I don’t even have money to fly home to look after my parents. I don’t even have enough to afford food, and because I haven’t been able to pay for my medication, I’ve been struggling with insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Without my antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds, I haven’t been able to sleep at all. My health issues including GERD are worsening, but I’ve had to skip treatment because of money.

I was originally planning to use some of that money to move to a different apartment. I have been living in a tiny one bedroom apartment in Seoul for the past 7 years. Because it’s on the top floor, water has been leaking through the ceiling and directly onto my bed since the first snow in November. It’s now April, and the leak continues with the spring rain. I’ve been sleeping in damp conditions for months, and it’s starting to affect my health. I’ve developed chest tightness and frequent coughing, and I’m constantly exhausted. I can’t imagine what the situation will be once it’s truly the rainy season as Seoul experiences heavy rainfall and humidity. With the rising price in real estate in Seoul, if I move out now, the deposit (Jeonse) will vary from $13,500 (20 million KRW) to $20,000 (30 million KRW)for a monthly rent of $750 to $550. I do not have that kind of money to afford either, thus a safe house for myself.

It has been three weeks since I filed the police report, but they are reluctant to deal with a foreigner. They failed to track down the bank account owner where I transferred the money to or even freeze the account. I failed to get any help from any NGO/government organization here. I was told by the police that financial recovery is impossible and they can only try to catch the culprit. These operations are designed to disappear once they’ve drained enough victims.

So now, I am left with nothing.

I am also consulting lawyers to expedite the case and sue the criminal, but no one is willing to work without a retainer fee, and the retainer fee for most lawyers starts at 5.5 million won (~US$3750). It’s physically impossible for me to arrange that kind of money. If you know of any organizations in Seoul that can support Indian foreign students like me or any lawyers willing to work pro bono, please put me in touch with them.

This fundraising is not just for survival. Here are my basic needs:

Rent & Utilities (~3 months, US$550 each): US$1,650

Food (3 months): US$1,500

Medical needs (3 months, including my ADHD, depression and anxiety med): US$360

GERD test (endoscopy): starts at US$700

Transportation (3 months): US$150

Safe housing deposit (minimum): US$13,500

My mother’s knee replacement: US$7,000

Flight fare to India from Korea: US$1,000

Lawyer help: starts from US$3,750

A total of US$29,610

I likely won't be able to recover the money so this is my only hope for getting my life back on track. If you are able to chip in a little to support me, thank you so much. Even the smallest donations can make a huge difference in my life right now. If you can’t donate, please share my story; that would mean the world to me.

With sincerity and strength,

Soumi"