Before I begin, my apologies for the long absence, particularly to readers grappling with the crime this blog is dedicated to fighting. I hope my previous posts have been helpful in the meantime.
Since I was appointed conservator, our family has been mostly successful protecting my father against further harm by the Jamaican con men. The reason I say "mostly successful" is that while it has been three years since I assumed control of my father's finances, our victory is not complete.
First, my dad continues to serve as a Money Mule for the crooks, receiving funds from other victims and forwarding all or part of the proceeds to the Caribbean using aliases.
The second reason total victory is not yet ours, is that the inevitable finally happened: The scammers stole my father's identity, and have been wreaking havoc with it ever since.
Initially, the fraudsters opened a cell phone account with five mobile numbers in my dad's name, and ran up a big balance for which AT&T now holds my father responsible.
Most recently they went online and made changes to my dad's Social Security account, and diverted his monthly payment to a prepaid cash card, which cannot be traced. When I asked the Social Security Administration how this was possible, they stated that some recipients prefer transfers to bank cards to checks and direct deposit, and added that when the SSA sees an account number, they have no way of telling if it is a standard bank account or a prepaid cash card. So they allow it.
The good news is that we got my father's money back (from the government at least), and now that they are aware of the theft, Social Security is monitoring my dad's account for signs of foul play. The bad news is that the agency refuses to appoint a Representative Payee for my father, on the grounds that he is "high functioning" (translation: otherwise able to take care of himself) and thus capable of exercising sound judgment with respect to his payments, an absurd notion given the mound of evidence to the contrary. Apparently it never occurred to them that my father may have surrendered his personal information on purpose, in the hope of finally receiving the multimillion dollar prize promised by the criminals.
The battles continue . . .
I have read most of your posts and find my Father is a victim as you have discribed. I want to report it, but to who? the FBI, the FTC? What is the best process for me to do?
ReplyDeleteThank you for this site, it has been so helpful. I had no idea of what we are up against. Daughter of another victim.
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear that your dad is being scammed like my father.
As far as reporting goes, I suggest that you "start local" - first contact the police department in the town where your dad lives.
Next, I would get in touch with the District Attorney's office in the town where your father resides, and report the matter to one of their fraud specialists.
At the state level, try the Attorney General's office, and at the federal level, the FTC, FBI, and ICE (the Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of the Department of Homeland Security).
While I believe this crime needs to be reported to the authorities, you should know going in that the chances of them doing, or being able to do anything about it, are slim.
It is is not because they don't care, but because the criminals operate outside of their jurisdiction, and - unless they have been careless - their true identities are unknown (they deal exclusively in cash and untraceable bank cards for a reason).
That being the case, the only viable strategy is to stem the flow of funds by restricting your dad's access to money. If he will not listen to reason, you will need take legal action and petition the court to appoint a conservator to oversee his financial affairs, for his own protection.
Keep fighting - and sorry for taking so long to respond to your post.
SOS
I can't believe I googled this just for the heck of it because this is happening also to my elderly father. They have already stole 95,000.00 dollars from him. And nobody wants to help. I blame alot of this on the phone co. I didn't even know this was going on until about 6 months ago. I've been trying to stop it but I just found out he's talking to them again and he sent another 2,000.00 to them. I don't know what to do. This has got to stop. Please Help!!!!!
DeleteJeanL,
ReplyDeleteEverything in your post indicates that your dad is impaired and needs a guardian to protect his estate (control and manage his money).
Based on your account the only real solution is to hire an attorney specializing in Elder Law and petition the court to appoint a conservator to oversee your father's finances.
As someone who has been in your shoes and whose dad has lost a comparable sum of money, believe me when I say that without the proper legal "magic" - namely Letters of Conservatorship or Power of Attorney - nobody will want or be able to help you.
And if you are hoping to talk your father out of giving more money to the crooks: If he has already sent them over $95K, your chances are slim to none, and none has probably left town.
Thank you for posting. My heart goes out to you and your family, and if you are willing please keep us apprised of your progress.
Best of luck,
SOS
My mom is involved in this, too. Thank you for your blog. I am at my wits end over this. She has nothing left. She lives on a little over of $1000 a month ss but yet finds enough to send to Jamaica or Costa Rica. She has also been a money mule. This has been going on for over 3 years. Just when we think she's done I catch her lying, again. She gets very defensive & then the crying starts & the "wish I was dead" comments to get us to back off. I don't know how to get her to a doctor to get her diagnosed with depression & to show she can't control her finances. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteJennifer,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear that your mother is also embroiled in one of these Advance Fee scams. Like my father, she is cognitively impaired and needs a guardian for her financial protection.
As for getting her to a doctor and having her diagnosed, I have two thoughts. The first would be to talk to her "regular" physician (if she has one) in private, explain your situation to them and see if they would be willing to provide a written statement indicating that she is showing diminished cognitive function.
Additionally, I strongly recommend that you contact an attorney specializing in Elder law and find out what is required in your state to have a conservator appointed to oversee your mom's financial affairs. Depending on the requirements the court might be able to order your mother to have a psychiatric evaluation.
As for the crying and comments, while they may be heartfelt it is equally possible that she is trying to manipulate you emotionally and psychologically so you won't intervene and ruin her chance to "win." Believe me, victims in as deep as your mom and my dad will - with coaching from the crooks - use every trick in the book to keep the money flowing.
Keep fighting,
SOS