FOR seven years, a mother fell deeper into the clutches of an online scam, eventually losing over $400,000 to fraudsters who first contacted her on social media.
Despite her son’s relentless efforts to intervene, he has been met with nothing but dead ends.
1
Initially targeting the elderly mother through messages on Facebook, the scammers operated under various aliases.
The son wrote to Quentin Fontrell at The Moneyist.
He told how, over time, scammers had manipulated her into sending money via Apple gift cards and cryptocurrency, making it nearly impossible to trace the transactions or recover the lost funds.
Despite moving in with her son for support, the woman remained loyal to the con artists.
She has continued to send them money, despite knowing the financial and emotional toll it has taken on her family.
“I have called the cops. I have called the FBI. I have called the local sheriff for internet fraud with zero help, shared the son.
“They told me there’s nothing they can do.”
“I have yelled, screamed, and cried. She does not care. I called a lawyer, and they said it would be very difficult because she is of sound mind.”
The situation has escalated to the point where the scammers have convinced the elderly woman to take out loans, further deepening her financial ruin.
She has even shared her son’s home address with them, raising concerns about safety and privacy.
Despite everything, she refuses to acknowledge the fraud and continues to send money to her online manipulators.
With no legal recourse, no law enforcement intervention, and no way to force her mother to stop, the son shared he feels trapped.
He has even considered asking her mother to leave, but with too much income for senior living assistance yet nowhere else to go, the options remain bleak.
The cry for help soon got a response.
Quentin responded, “She is a victim.”
The reply continued, “Keep telling yourself that. Tell your mom that too. Show her compassion and understanding instead of anger.”
He then went on to share, “The latter will only make her put her guard up higher.
“Somewhere, deep down, she knows none of this is real, but this is the ultimate and most devastating part of this kind of financial scam. They build a fake reality for a vulnerable person.”
Expert Tips: Crypto Scam Red Flags
Scam expert Toby Braun, the managing partner for American Special Investigative Group and Heroya Cryptocurrency Investigations spoke exclusively to The U.S. Sun about the warning signs of crypto scams.
Beware of a “Crypto trading platform, service or fund offering unusually high returns,” he said as these “are more than likely a scam.”
Individuals who still go ahead with the investment should ensure that “professional due diligence” is carried out regarding the individual or platform.
His second tip is to “refrain from responding to personal solicitations involving cryptocurrency from an unknown source.”
This can be via any social media platform, emails, text messages, or WhatsApp.
The third red flag is being approached by people who seem to be overly friendly.
“Many scammers use deepfake technology to pretend to be someone on dating sites they are not,” Braun said.
“Once the scammers connect with their unbeknown victim who is often just looking for a real connection, they flatter them before sharing how much money they are making with crypto.
“The victim is then lured into making substantial investments, and deposit funds they’ll never see again.”
Similarly, the expert warned people away from engaging with strangers or people they have just met if they are asking for money or encouraging them to invest.
Lastly, “be aware of anything that simply sounds too good to be true. It generally never is,” he added.
