Post #3176767

So, update on my elderly relative who is falling for a romance scam: So far he’s been told it’s a scam by all of his siblings, all of his children, and all of his friends. He thinks that it is somehow more likely that beautiful woman half his age who texted him accidentally has fallen in love with him, sight unseen. He’s sure the love is real — “she” was going to visit him on a specific date and prove us wrong! We told him that at the last minute her flight would be cancelled or her car would break down and she’d need money — and when that happened, exactly as predicted, he STILL DIDN’T BELIEVE IT WAS A SCAM. You know who came through for us? His BANK. He went in to take out money in some transferable form, and they told him he was being scammed and refused to give him any money. Last I heard, the scammer is trying to teach him how to deposit money via those crypto ATMs. He might be saved by his incompetence with technology. I’m not ragging on him — he’s a lonely generous man in the beginings of cognitive decline, and very vulnerable. These scams can be very effective, even against smart people.