It was a fake??? Oh man, I have gotten so many emails from these people and I have sent them my bank statements, SS#, credit card info, my address, phone numbers, my VIN #'s hoping to land $57 trillion lolz
It's actually pretty sad - people do fall for this stuff. A friend's father has early Alzheimers, and he's given THOUSANDS to scammers. At one point, the scammers even showed up in the US to pick up more money from him (so you know he had to be giving them a LOT). The FBI had been alerted, and they arrested the guys. My friend's father was really ticked - to this day, he believes they were here to hand him his $5 million check. The guy may have Alzheimers, but he's done a pretty good job of staying in touch with the scammers, despite his son's best efforts to cut off communication.
My grandmother is doing the exact same thing! The scammers have her so bamboozled that she thinks she's paying bills or receiving prizes and gifts. She comes from an age when this didn't happen (born and raised in Germany) and she is now of an age where she just can't comprehend what they are doing to her. What's worse is my parents and uncles aren't doing what is necessary to stop it.
Then you need to contact someone about it. This is elder abuse and it is specifically prohibited in most states. She needs a guardianship over her estate* in order for someone to handle her financial affairs. This is not a guardianship over her person, so she does not lose her independence of residence or movement. She just hands over (or has taken away, depending on how cooperative she may be) her financial matters to someone who will properly oversee things. Usually, after other necessary expenses are paid, the person is given an allowance, so she will still have some discretionary money to spend, even if she spends it badly. A call to the local Area Agency on Aging in her city or county will set things in motion. They will involve the right agencies and will usually seek a family member to do the job. If none are willing or able, then an alternative such as a court-appointed paid guardian (many elder law attorneys and accountants do this for a modest fee) may be chosen. * This is more than a power of attorney. With a power of attorney, the person granting the power has the right, at any time, to contradict the attorney's actions and to continue to use the funds as they see fit. The guardianship removes the person's power to administer their income and expenses except with the guardian's permission. It is more extreme, slightly more expensive (than what, having all her money go to Nigeria?), and (usually) necessary.
