# My mom being scammed **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 12, 2016, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-being-scammed/742915 "2016-01-12T10:42:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![extremelyupset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@extremelyupset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/extremelyupset)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-being-scammed/742915/1 "2016-01-12T10:42:51Z")
I found out through my mom’s neighbor that my mom sold a property she used to owns she could get cash for it. I found out that,in looking at her bank account(my name is there too),that sale of that property went like water in one month! She would write checks to herself9by the way my mom is 81) and theres no clue as to who threatened or scammed her to give them this money.The local DA said she won’t cooperate with them and can’t do nothing.She won’t tell me either.Im her only son,and I need your advice please…how to nab these organized scammers…and protect her. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-being-scammed/742915/2 "2016-01-12T11:16:01Z")
Well you need to establish the facts as best you can - real facts not opinions dressed up as facts. Then you will have to get your mother to speak with a lawyer, so the lawyer can establish the facts. A long, long way down the road there may or may not be the option of someone being given power of attorney over your mother’s financial affairs. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-being-scammed/742915/3 "2016-01-12T11:16:37Z")
Could you please clarify what happened? Maybe it’s too early and I’m not awake, but I’m not understanding what’s happened. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-being-scammed/742915/4 "2016-01-12T11:55:56Z")
> [@extremelyupset](#): > > I found out through my mom’s neighbor that my mom sold a property she used to owns she could get cash for it. I found out that,in looking at her bank account(my name is there too),that sale of that property went like water in one month! She would write checks to herself9by the way my mom is 81) and theres no clue as to who threatened or scammed her to give them this money.The local DA said she won’t cooperate with them and can’t do nothing.She won’t tell me either.Im her only son,and I need your advice please…how to nab these organized scammers…and protect her. Its a bit late now. Its all western union’ed away. She’s saving someone from jail or buying you a $250 million dollars from some dodgy African deal (dead person or blood diamonds or something) My aunty paid someone to get out of jail in Malaysia, because he was "running a christian mission there, and coming here to give her [you can imagine] body some good lovin next month… no … he really loved her elderly autistic adopted single child ( adopted by her natural mothers natural sister… so taken from a large family … she finds out as an adult… her 11 natural cousins are really natural siblings… ) personality… such a great person to want to be with. But she was buying her entry to heaven with this man , where they’d both rejuvenate… "Oh I’m late , can’t leave this week there’s been a storm… um, can I have $5000 more for the hotel room ? " ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-being-scammed/742915/5 "2016-01-12T14:11:39Z")
Since the OP is looking for advice, let’s move this to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-being-scammed/742915/6 "2016-01-12T14:20:37Z")
A lot of times these scammers don’t do anything illegal, so that may be why the DA won’t prosecute. It’s not illegal to sell property to someone else or give money to someone else. You say you have access to the bank account? Can you take the money out and set it up in a new account? If your mom is not capable of making decisions on her own, you may need to get control of her finances. You can see about getting power of attorney so you can make the financial decisions. Why won’t she tell you what is happening to the money? ---
**Author:** ![T.M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ad7895/32.png) [@T.M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.M)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-being-scammed/742915/7 "2016-01-12T15:14:50Z")
> [@extremelyupset](#): > > I found out through my mom’s neighbor that my mom sold a property she used to owns she could get cash for it. I found out that,in looking at her bank account(my name is there too),that sale of that property went like water in one month! She would write checks to herself9by the way my mom is 81) and theres no clue as to who threatened or scammed her to give them this money.The local DA said she won’t cooperate with them and can’t do nothing.She won’t tell me either.Im her only son,and I need your advice please…how to nab these organized scammers…and protect her. Sounds like you need power of attorney to protect your mothers interests, if you have any siblings make sure to get their permission first ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-being-scammed/742915/8 "2016-01-12T17:24:25Z")
In most states, power-of-attorney by itself will NOT be sufficient, because while it gives you the ability to access her bank account, move funds, etc., it doesn’t take away her right to do the same things, including behind her back. If she is really unable to manage her money, you and any other interested parties (your siblings, her siblings, etc.) will need to talk to an attorney about what it takes to establish a conservatorship ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-being-scammed/742915/9 "2016-01-12T17:29:19Z")
Is it possible that your mom is spending the money herself? Gambling, online shopping, etc? Since she’s refusing to answer questions, something like that is a more likely reason. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-being-scammed/742915/10 "2016-01-12T17:51:24Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > A lot of times these scammers don’t do anything illegal, so that may be why the DA won’t prosecute. It’s not illegal to sell property to someone else or give money to someone else. You say you have access to the bank account? Can you take the money out and set it up in a new account? > > If your mom is not capable of making decisions on her own, you may need to get control of her finances. You can see about getting power of attorney so you can make the financial decisions. Why won’t she tell you what is happening to the money? From my reading of the O.P., I think the mother refuses to speak to the D.A. > [@](#): > > The local DA said she won’t cooperate with them ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-being-scammed/742915/11 "2016-01-12T23:13:12Z")
How do you know that she was scammed? Maybe she decided to liquidate a portion of her real estate holdings to diversify into a higher returning speculative holdings. She might not want to tell you, because the speculative venture is dependent upon a market arbitrage and if knowledge of the market is dislocation is widely known, its value would be severely diminished. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-being-scammed/742915/12 "2016-01-13T01:30:32Z")
Sorry about your mom. Is this a one-time visit, or do you anticipate being extremely upset for the entirety of your stay on this board? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-being-scammed/742915/13 "2016-01-13T05:21:53Z")
You post is very difficult to understand re the actual facts of the situation. If your mom won’t talk to you or cooperate with you are pretty much SOL unless you can have her declared incompetent, and that is generally an expensive exercise. ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-being-scammed/742915/14 "2016-01-13T06:17:16Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Sorry about your mom. Is this a one-time visit, or do you anticipate being extremely upset for the entirety of your stay on this board? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-being-scammed/742915/15 "2016-01-14T00:56:16Z")
Thanks for joining the Straight Dope to discuss this extremely upsetting situation regarding your elderly mother. My elderly mother extremely upsets me at times too.