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The mom slide continues.
Aug. 23rd, 2019 01:04 pmI got a phone call from Mom around 0830 this morning. Such a call is surpassingly rare, and at that hour it's unheard of. She said it was an emergency: she couldn't find her money, and she needed me to send some to a timeshare company "so they can sell the timeshare".
Seeing as how my mother has fallen for timeshare scams on multiple occasions, this seemed like more of the same. I asked her why they needed the money if they owned the timeshare. She said, "I own the timeshare!" OK, maybe that's true, but that doesn't explain why it's an emergency.
She went on to accuse her guardian of breaking into her place and leaving piles of unopened mail all over the furniture*, and of hiding her credit card - in her purse, in the laundry room. ("When have I ever left my purse in the laundry room?")
I told her I was going to call Good Sister, said goodbye, and hung up. Then I remembered that GS was traveling a long way to visit her daughter. Le sigh. So I texted both sisters asking for the guardian's contact info. Evil Sister came through, saying she'd call him herself if she weren't busy. No prob: I called him and basically told him what I just told you. He sounded appreciative, and said he was planning on paying her a visit tomorrow anyway. He seems like a normal dude doing his job, a job that I really don't envy him.
I'm not proud of the way I handled the call. I should have at least tried to point out that scammers try to create a sense of urgency, and I should have asked her what was supposed to happen if she didn't send money. Maybe I could have even pointed out that her guardian didn't do the things she accuses him of. But on the other hand, would it have done any good? Probably not, especially in the long run.
Good things to come out of this: I've spoken directly with Mom's guardian. I've also texted directly with Evil Sister, since Good Sister was incommunicado.
*Evil Sister saw those piles months ago, possibly before her current guardian was on the job.
Seeing as how my mother has fallen for timeshare scams on multiple occasions, this seemed like more of the same. I asked her why they needed the money if they owned the timeshare. She said, "I own the timeshare!" OK, maybe that's true, but that doesn't explain why it's an emergency.
She went on to accuse her guardian of breaking into her place and leaving piles of unopened mail all over the furniture*, and of hiding her credit card - in her purse, in the laundry room. ("When have I ever left my purse in the laundry room?")
I told her I was going to call Good Sister, said goodbye, and hung up. Then I remembered that GS was traveling a long way to visit her daughter. Le sigh. So I texted both sisters asking for the guardian's contact info. Evil Sister came through, saying she'd call him herself if she weren't busy. No prob: I called him and basically told him what I just told you. He sounded appreciative, and said he was planning on paying her a visit tomorrow anyway. He seems like a normal dude doing his job, a job that I really don't envy him.
I'm not proud of the way I handled the call. I should have at least tried to point out that scammers try to create a sense of urgency, and I should have asked her what was supposed to happen if she didn't send money. Maybe I could have even pointed out that her guardian didn't do the things she accuses him of. But on the other hand, would it have done any good? Probably not, especially in the long run.
Good things to come out of this: I've spoken directly with Mom's guardian. I've also texted directly with Evil Sister, since Good Sister was incommunicado.
*Evil Sister saw those piles months ago, possibly before her current guardian was on the job.
