Travelled with a friend who hasn't settled expenses

lon_85

Hi everyone, I  travelled with a friend in December to Asia and she has not settled her side of the expenses. She told me when she gets back to London she will be moving house but I don't know her new address - she's been ghosting me ever since. Total amount £350. I have the splitwise app which shows how nuch she needs to give and also whatsapp messages which show her stating she will send me the money. I now have a feeling she might have done this to others that's why I believe she should be caught to stop othet people losing their money. Is there anything I can do here? 

elsien

Without her address, absolutely nothing unless you know friends or family who might be able to intervene with her. 

Do you know she’s actually moved? Have you been to her last address to check?

Flugelhorn

hardly a friend! 
try contacting mutual friends / her workplace / old address - hopefully she will soon hear you are looking for her and aren't just going to forget the debt

Emmia

It is possible you'll need to write off this money and the friendship - moving expenses really aren't an excuse here.

Grumpy_chap

You are unlikely to ever get this money.  Probably not worth pursuing.

How long have you known this friend?

lon_85

elsien said:

Without her address, absolutely nothing unless you know friends or family who might be able to intervene with her. 

Do you know she’s actually moved? Have you been to her last address to check?

I did try and reach our to her sister on Facebook but no reply :-( 

Good point I haven't been to her last address to check but she told me she will be moving to luton to be closer to her mum who is in a care home - I contacted the care home and left a message for her mum to call me back, no contact yet. 

lon_85

Grumpy_chap said:

You are unlikely to ever get this money.  Probably not worth pursuing.

How long have you known this friend?

Not long - lesson learned to not travel with friends you meet online :-(

Flugelhorn

lon_85 said:

Grumpy_chap said:

You are unlikely to ever get this money.  Probably not worth pursuing.

How long have you known this friend?

Not long - lesson learned to not travel with friends you meet online :-(

yes tricky - suspect her  whole back story is made up 

Emmia

lon_85 said:

Grumpy_chap said:

You are unlikely to ever get this money.  Probably not worth pursuing.

How long have you known this friend?

Not long - lesson learned to not travel with friends you meet online :-(

If you met online, did you develop the friendship offline, before suggesting the travel, or was this "meeting someone online to travel with"?

If it's the latter then frankly her the backstory could be a complete fabrication.

QrizB

There's an old saying that goes along the lines of "if you lend a friend £10 and never see them again, it was probably worth it".

The saying dates back to at least the 1940s, when £10 was worth about £300 in today's money. Similar to the debt owed to you.

flaneurs_lobster

If you've only been grifted out of £350 then you've probably got away relatively cheaply. An Asia trip for two could have cost you a lot more than that.