My mom is getting scammed
She approached me yesterday, asking me to help her take a picture with her phone. She was wearing a pretty shirt, had done her hair with a flower headband. She looked nice.
Then she told me it was because those people she’s talking with on FB told her to send a picture. My heart broke for her. I tried to tell her again that they were scamming her.
I pointed out parts in her messages that were clearly suspicious.
“When does anyone in Social Security tell you to go to the grocery store to complete a process? I’ll tell you the next step because I’ve captioned so many people getting ripped off like this. They’ll tell you to either buy gift cards or transfer money through Western Union.”
“Never mind. I ask for help, and you don’t help me.” She started to walk away.
I’d blocked the scammer’s page, but Facebook leaves a note at the bottom of messages telling you the person is blocked. She saw, and wanted me to unblock it.
“Do you really think I’m such a hateful person? Do you think I’m saying this because I don’t want to help?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I asked for help. I’ll just figure it out on my own,” she said.
“It’s not helping if I know something is a scam and I contribute to you giving them money. I don’t want you to lose the house—”
“I’m not going to.”
“Or give them access to your bank account.”
“I didn’t.”
“Mom, when has the government ever just given someone $250k? When has anyone in this country helped like that? All those years you and dad needed help, when was this ever a thing? It’s a scam.”
“Oh well. We’ll see. If I get scammed, I get scammed,” she said.
That’s the reality of adulthood, isn’t it? I unblocked the page. She’s not a child. And unless she ever gets some diagnosis proving she’s not mentally able to handle her own accounts, I can’t just make decisions for her.
I asked my sisters for help. Maybe she’d listen to one of them instead. My younger sister said mom reminds her of her elderly patients from nursing homes; that they double down and see it as being treated like children even if you’re just trying to help.
She has a way of talking to them that sounds to me like how you’d speak to a child, but elderly people respond so well to.
“I don’t know how to be gentle and reassuring,” I said.
“You really don’t.”
🤨…😔 I really don’t.
I need someone else to help her. I’m so sick of being seen as the bad guy.
But it’s okay. Sometimes, we’re better after losing everything. Part of me wants to make sure she doesn’t lose her house; and part of me thinks “that would solve the hoarding issue.”
I cried anyway, because she’d looked really nice. And it’s all for lies.
Then she told me it was because those people she’s talking with on FB told her to send a picture. My heart broke for her. I tried to tell her again that they were scamming her.
I pointed out parts in her messages that were clearly suspicious.
“When does anyone in Social Security tell you to go to the grocery store to complete a process? I’ll tell you the next step because I’ve captioned so many people getting ripped off like this. They’ll tell you to either buy gift cards or transfer money through Western Union.”
“Never mind. I ask for help, and you don’t help me.” She started to walk away.
I’d blocked the scammer’s page, but Facebook leaves a note at the bottom of messages telling you the person is blocked. She saw, and wanted me to unblock it.
“Do you really think I’m such a hateful person? Do you think I’m saying this because I don’t want to help?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I asked for help. I’ll just figure it out on my own,” she said.
“It’s not helping if I know something is a scam and I contribute to you giving them money. I don’t want you to lose the house—”
“I’m not going to.”
“Or give them access to your bank account.”
“I didn’t.”
“Mom, when has the government ever just given someone $250k? When has anyone in this country helped like that? All those years you and dad needed help, when was this ever a thing? It’s a scam.”
“Oh well. We’ll see. If I get scammed, I get scammed,” she said.
That’s the reality of adulthood, isn’t it? I unblocked the page. She’s not a child. And unless she ever gets some diagnosis proving she’s not mentally able to handle her own accounts, I can’t just make decisions for her.
I asked my sisters for help. Maybe she’d listen to one of them instead. My younger sister said mom reminds her of her elderly patients from nursing homes; that they double down and see it as being treated like children even if you’re just trying to help.
She has a way of talking to them that sounds to me like how you’d speak to a child, but elderly people respond so well to.
“I don’t know how to be gentle and reassuring,” I said.
“You really don’t.”
🤨…😔 I really don’t.
I need someone else to help her. I’m so sick of being seen as the bad guy.
But it’s okay. Sometimes, we’re better after losing everything. Part of me wants to make sure she doesn’t lose her house; and part of me thinks “that would solve the hoarding issue.”
I cried anyway, because she’d looked really nice. And it’s all for lies.
36-40
