The mystery surrounding a mother and daughter reported by family as missing in Romania deepens.

Administrative assistant Cheryl Yap Lay Leng, 25, and her mother, Madam Foo Li Kheng, 61, have yet to be contacted by relatives, 11 days after they left for the Romanian capital of Bucharest on Jan 22.

But Ms Yap's Facebook friend Jerleen Tang told The Straits Times the pair are "currently safe".

She added that Ms Yap is in contact with her but declined to comment further, saying: "I don't want to stress her."

Yesterday, Ms Yap's father told Shin Min Daily News that his daughter had erased files, including photos, in her computer before she left on Jan 22. Ms Yap's elder brother, 32, had spent three days to get into her computer, he said.

The 59-year-old taxi driver, who declined to give his full name, had reported them as missing five days after they left in secret. He believes his daughter had planned on meeting a male friend she had met online. He said his wife and daughter did not book any hotel, and suspects someone may have met them at the airport.

Mr Yap told the Chinese paper he has not been able to sleep at night, and worries the pair may have fallen victims to a scam. His daughter had left Singapore with her four bank passbooks containing savings of at least $40,000 as well as cash and SG50 commemorative notes.

He found out about the mystery trip from his daughter's credit card bill. The pair had booked their return for April 16.

Mr Yap described his daughter as quiet and reserved, with not many friends. She was close to her mother, who would accompany her to the bus stop daily before work and join her for dinner at the end of the day.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that it has approached the Romanian authorities to assist the family of the Singaporean women and is monitoring the case closely.