My step dad passed away 2 months ago from cancer. I can understand that it has been a long and hard past five years, but I think she is being taken for her money! We live in different states and she is not interested in selling her house. I talked to her today, to find out that she has made contact with various men (3) through match.com. All three have asked her for money. The most disturbing is the one asking her for $15,000 to meet payroll or his crew won't finish the project. I reluctantly asked how much she has already sent him and she said $2,000. I about fell over. I told her that she needs to ground herself from the computer and destroy all cards that give her easy access to her money. That way it will take awhile for her to get the money.
She wants male companionship, but wants someone who is active and likes to ride motorcycles. She is 62. But I think she is not finding the right people!
What can I do to help her?
If our parents give *us* or other family members large amounts of money, especially in their winding down years, that money is subject to a 5 year lookback when it comes time for Medicade. What are the implications of a medicade lookback when the person is giving *THIS* kind of money away to total strangers? Maybe that would be something to make your mom think about...
It makes me think that I would either get my name on her accounts so you can prevent her from giving her savings away OR I'd get my name OFF her accounts so you don't get caught up in some kind of weird financial tangle when the cons go bad... Good luck and best wishes...
The transition was from using to checks to using cash to using all credit. There was less of a paper trail for me and NO LIMIT nearly to how screwed up her decisions could be.
Finally I got her a debit card and only put $500 on it at a time. It sent an E-mail with her balance below $100. I put all her regular bills straight to checking. Took away her checks. Had a regular amount transferred to her debit card.