New JW Scam?? Here in Australia...

by TheApostleAK 19 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  TheApostleAK

  It's good to be back on here...

  Ok, Is anyone aware of this particular scam that seems to be BIG here in Adelaide, South Australia. I've heard a couple of times were JW's have befriended old people (particularly one's that live by themselves) and get them to A) join up or B) become good friends with them. After being friends for a while the JW's 'suggest', 'coax' etc, to the old timer to put them down (the JW's) on their will. I know of one instance where the JW's have cut a whole family out of one will.

  Anyone heard of this?

  AK
• 

  Lostreality

  heard of it...didnt know anyone else had. Personally I think tis bogus..but i wouldnt be suprised.
• 

  johnny cip

  this is an old wt scam. they been doing this for decades. better know as the old divide and concur. there was something on the web about this guy that had 100's of millions he married a jw, they got divorced, the wt sent lawyers to court for her . ended up taking most if this guys money . i think this was in deleware. all this if true took years . with wt help. i'm sure someone else here remembers reading this. i can't seen to find it. but it was long very long. john
• 

  yesidid

  I have no doubt some Jehovah?s Witnesses have done this, but it is not unique to them, nor did they invent it. That sort of thing has been with the human race since the human race began.
• 

  XQsThaiPoes

  This is not unique to JWs vs Non JWs it happend to my family and all involve are JWs.

  Basically the old person goes senile and entrust their estate to some body (in our case a person at their hall they liked). The person gets the Dr to declare the old person unable to give informed consent so now the trust takes over is in effect giving the old person have the same legal rights as a child.

  It is a flaw in the court system not JWs. Many people with older relatives get scamed like this. The money gets frittered by the trust leaving an empty will full of things already sold. The watchtower says they can't get involved and don't want the money (legally they are so barracaded you can't get them out of brooklyn).
• 

  johnny cip

  xq's no it not a wt originated scam. but they use it.. neither is mind control. ther mave been to many documented cases. on this kind of scam etc. that the wt uses to rob young and old if thier $$$$$$$$$$ , life, etc. just read the nov and dec 2003 wt's . it's clear the wt don't take the high raod, a legal paper signed my a lawyer don't make it right. and they know it. john
• 

  XQsThaiPoes

  The WT is in no way involved. They don't care. It may flyon these boards that the WTS is breaking into peoples bank accounts and robbing them at gun point. In real life the WTS says it can can't [edit] get inolved in any way.

  This is not an abuse of the watchtower system this is an abuse of the court system. I have jw friends where their non jw parent are getting taken by total strangers that happend to follow them home and started caring for them. Many older people latch on to familiar faces as they get senile. The people taking advantage of them know this. So while you are away at work or school they invite them selves into that persons life. Because they are adults legally you can't chase off their "friend" that so eagerly tends their needs. Eventually their name gets on a few pieces of paper and the court system says well we have to respect their wishes. You know the Cookoo bird uses simular strategies to breed.
• 

  Undecided

  This sort of happened with me once when I was a JW. No one suggested that this old man who didn't come to the hall, give his money to the local KH. Most of his family were sort of JWs. They went to some meetings but weren't active JWs. He had some history with Rutherford, way back in the 20s.

  He asked me to come by his house, an old schack on about 10 or more acres of land. He asked me to put my name on his bank account so when he died I could just draw his money out and give it to the local congregation. He died after I left the JWs and I drew out the money and gave it to the congregation, $16,000. They also got the land. He trusted me to be honest, as I could have drawn out his money anytime while he was still alive. I just faded from the JWs so I guess he still trusted me after I left.

  Ken P.
• 

  blondie

  In my experience over the last 45 years and the report of other JWs, this is a big problem. Of course, if you were the one ripped off or a loved one, it is a big problem. Now there was the case of the JW in Florida that tricked older JWs into letting him invest their money and took them for a ride and ended up in prison and the 2 elders in Montana that through their investment business, ripped off an older sister and ended up in prison.

  Locally, I heard of a JW family that were fighting over the estate of their deceased JW mother. The elders declined to get involved and recommended they work out among themselves. One finally took the others to court; the brothers didn't do anything to them because it wasn't widely known.

  I have seen more cases of JW children ripping off their elderly parents rather than unrelated JWs doing this. It takes a certain type of person to do this. JWs have flaws, but I don't find this to be one of their major ones. Elderly JWs suffer more from what the congregation does not GIVE to them, time, love, financial help.

  Blondie
• 

  XQsThaiPoes

  According to protection services this is an exploitation of the elderly but it is hard for the judges to do anything because the government care is worse than the present situation and the attitude of if they aren't physically abusing the person it is not worth the courts time. Since most of these people are nice to the older person, and the older person sincerely defends the finacial abuser as having their blessing the courts really mess things up, and incur legal bills that further tax the situation.

  It is amazing what you can do to a person legally. You almost have to have a old person sharp enought to assume they will go senile one day, and write documents up to prevent this type of thing from happening, and that the party helping them is legitimate lawyer or accountant and not someone to insert their hand in the pot too.