My mom keeps falling for scams over and over… What should I do?

Online Scams Forum
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Hi everyone,

This is a bit of a long story, but I really need some advice. My mom has been scammed several times over the years, and I’m struggling to figure out how to help her.

A few years ago, she moved to Fiji as an expat and trusted someone with over half a million dollars to help manage her finances, get her citizenship sorted, and buy property. This person took her money and disappeared, leaving her in a bad situation where she had to pick up the pieces alone.

Then, there was another incident with a fake virus software company claiming to be Norton. They told her they needed to access her Mac to install malware protection and ended up stealing a ton of personal info, including bank passwords. She lost thousands again. I explained to her that Macs don’t usually need antivirus software unless you’re downloading dodgy files, but it didn’t seem to help.

More recently, she tried to sell her property and move back to Australia. She got in touch with someone claiming to be from ANZ Bank but said they were based in the US (major red flag). This person said they’d help her invest her money back in Australia, but they wanted $3000 in Apple gift cards. I warned her that any request involving gift cards is a scam, but she bought them anyway. I don’t know what happened after that.

Now, she’s told me she needs to send a parcel to the US through a specific FedEx location. She won’t tell me what’s in the parcel or why it’s so urgent, only that she’ll give me the FedEx address. I’m thinking of intercepting it in case it’s something like cash or more gift cards.

She doesn’t have much money left and is vulnerable, but I’m at a loss for what to do. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT

She recently also got a text saying, “Hi Mom, I need to borrow $800.” Thankfully, she sent the money to my account, thinking it was for me, so that one didn’t turn out too bad. But she didn’t even question it.

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Honestly, she might be caught up in a parcel scam. :confused:

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Sam said:
Honestly, she might be caught up in a parcel scam. :confused:

Yeah, I’m really worried about that too.

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FraudWatchForum said:

Sam said:
Honestly, she might be caught up in a parcel scam. :confused:

Yeah, I’m really worried about that too.

If she’s sending cash, it’s likely the scammers will just take it. Maybe try to intercept it before it’s too late.

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How old is your mom? Maybe there’s a medical reason for her vulnerability, like early dementia.

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AddisonHagen said:
How old is your mom? Maybe there’s a medical reason for her vulnerability, like early dementia.

She’s 60 and doesn’t have dementia. She’s always been a bit trusting, but it seems worse now.

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@FraudWatchForum
It’s tough if it’s just her personality. Maybe talk to a professional who can help her protect her finances?

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AddisonHagen said:
@FraudWatchForum
It’s tough if it’s just her personality. Maybe talk to a professional who can help her protect her finances?

My mom’s in her 60s too and has trust issues but in the opposite way. If your mom is this vulnerable, maybe she needs someone else to help handle her money.

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UPDATE

I figured out the latest scam and managed to intercept it, but only after she’d already spent the money.

She got tricked into buying iPhones to send to some company that promised to pay her back twice what she spent. I looked up the address of this company, and all the reviews said it’s a scam. Trying to get her to stop hasn’t been easy.

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@FraudWatchForum
She might be breaking the law without realizing it…

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@FraudWatchForum
Did she listen to you at least?

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If you’re sure it won’t cause legal trouble, maybe intercept the parcel. But it sounds like she probably sent the gift cards already. It’s frustrating because avoiding scams really comes down to having patience and a bit of skepticism. Maybe have a bank or a lawyer talk to her about how bad things can get with scams, even leading to jail time in extreme cases. Fear of real consequences might make her take it seriously.

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@Claire
I agree, but I’m worried a new scam will just show up and she’ll fall for it again. It’s hard to keep up with all of them, especially when I’m not around her all the time.

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FraudWatchForum said:
@Claire
I agree, but I’m worried a new scam will just show up and she’ll fall for it again. It’s hard to keep up with all of them, especially when I’m not around her all the time.

The goal would be for her to ask you before acting on anything suspicious. But you’re right—it’s challenging unless she learns how to spot scams herself. Also, maybe change her phone number to cut down on the scam contacts. Or get her a number she only uses for important things like banking.