Grandparents and money schemes/scams

darkuncle29

Hi peoples,

Do any of you have experience with your parents or grandparents getting hooked on money making scams, Publisher's Clearing House, or other "schemes" where people call and use high pressure sales tactics and manipulation to get you to buy there program?

I know this is not JW stuff, but to me, it pushes alot of the same buttons. My grandfather has spent thousands on these worthless "business" ideas that you have to buy into. There's distressed merchanidise, land forclosures, govt. land forclosures. He also spends alot on "collectible" stuff from Publisher's clearing house, coins, stamps, and I keep finding more stuff. He even pays another company for the PCH winning numbers. To me that sounds like BS!

He spends so much money trying to "make a million"-his words. Grandma has control of the purse strings, but he is so abusive and relentless that she caves.

Grandpa is an Aries, so he's always been stubborn. This is so painful to watch, but I'm sorta obligated because they flew me out from Seattle.

How do you help someone who doesn't want help, or even see a problem?

Hey, for you Wisconsin apostates, I'm near Woodville. Fun storms we been having here eh?

journey-on

I don't have personal experience with grandparents getting hooked on money schemes and scams, but

I have heard about one that some of them get taken in by. Some of these old codgers have even left

their entire estate to it, forsaking their children and grandchildren's rightful inheritance. It's called the

Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Jehovah's Witnesses.

RisingEagle

My wife's grandfather got caught up in the time-life books and magazine scams so bad that her father had to step in be appointed his guardian. When my in-law's cleaned out his house after he died they found dozens of cheap watches and that other memorabilia crap they offer with book/magazine purchases.

I read some of the letters they sent him. The letters were written like he had incurred debt to them and they were demanding that he pay them for items he never even ordered. I wanted to turn the letters over to the DA in our state but the in-laws poo-poo'ed that idea.

Eagle

darkuncle29

Thats true, thankfully only my immediate family, no extended relatives, were taken in on that one. But the lessons I learned from the JW experience are similiar to issues that my grandpa is on now, coupled with old age and failing mental faculties.

My aunt, uncle, grandma & cousins don't understand how he can fall into this. They don't have experience with mind control or manipulative groups, at least from the outside looking in with hind sight experience.

darkuncle29

RisingEagle: Exactly! Who can you turn it into for help? These scams and marketing methods may not be technically illegal, but they're not exactly honest. I've heard people on the phone telling grandpa when he said "No" to their program, that they reduce the cost by half, and then say that the offer is only good for a day if he calls back. On times he's said yes, they transfer you to somebody else on the line who say "congratulations, don't you feel great for being a part of blah blah". I mean holy crap. that's not love bombing, but its an interesting sneaky ego massage.

greenhornet

What is a real scam is Filter Queen vacuum. Don't ever let them in your house! They got to be the worst scam artist!

Happy Harvester

Can (or should) he be declared incompetent?

tula

Why not put a recorder on the phone and turn the ringer down real low.

Then, at day's end have your grandmother screen the calls that have come in.

Most telemarketers don't leave a message (sometimes a recorded one, though)

As for the mail....get a PO box with instructions for no third class mail. Then, give all of the bill collectors the new address. DO NOT turn it into the post office as a forwarding address.

This way only the people who need to reach them, will.

darkuncle29

Up date: since I've been back in Seattle, grandpa fell and broke his hip. He's had surgery to repair it, and is staying in a home while he get PT. Then he should be back at his and grandma's place. no, he shouldn't be declared incompetent, only his judgement is a little off, especially regarding scams that come in the junk mail--Publisher's Clearing House, and a few others mentiond, but I think they're all mute now. He's a very active 90 yo. He has two beehives, but now he's going to need my cousins to get them redy for winter. He still deer hunts. He is in the American Legion and the 40 & 8--he's a WWII vet. He actually broke his hip at a town meeting.

darkuncle29

Thanks Tula, that's an interesting idea.

Grandparents and money schemes/scams

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