Double standard FIL

Its very, very hard to get people to change their minds when they are convinced they are right. Just as hard to get any help from Social Services in a Safe Guarding Meeting. They call it "people make bad decisions" I am battling with my own daughter (learning disabilities, disabled) who lives on her own with care to have her heating on and its not because of lack of money. It is freezing in her house and is becoming damp but nothing can be done. So now I have taken a step back and let her get on with it until something happens.

Could there be a little dementia creeping in here? His thoughts are just not realistic

H1954 How awful for you and OH! It is definitely a scam but how to get him to see that is the problem. there have often been articles on the news and BBC's Watchdog - could you find those and show him? Or contact Watchdog or local trading standards. The lodger seems to be behind this, is it a family member or just someone who lives with him?

I do hope you get this sorted!

H1954,

You are being reasonable and wise.

Avoid scammers like this and they may change their ways, but don’t hold your breath.

Not sure quite what you mean Holdingontomyteeth but this is certainly NOT in my imagination! Lots of posts have been very supportive and I thank all those GN members very much, in particularly those who have experienced similar situations. My OH and I visit, send greetings cards and check up on him from a health point of view but that is all! Thankfully, I was wise to this kind of thing before I met OH and was sceptical from the start, mainly because if something sounds to good to be true then it definitely is! There has never been a payout, just assurances that if he sends X amount via Western Union ( according to FIL) then the money will be paid out in 7 days etc etc. He even believed that he had to pay for an import licence for a pallet load of cash! Personally, I feel sorry that he got drawn into all this but he is STILL in denial and it's gone on for years.

Moving on from my rant, I sincerely hope that by reading this GN members will be on the alert for themselves, family members and friends. Of course, there is the old say "there's no such things as a free lunch"! Happy New Year to anyone reading this response, bless you all, and hang onto your cash !!!!!!

Sounds as if this "investment arrangement" may well involve a (much younger) woman who's draining him financially dry, slowly but ruthlessly. Could this be the case?

He wouldn't be the first 'mature' guy to believe some gold digger who plies him with ridiculous flattery to crowbar his bank account open!

Sympathies My father got caught up in one of these - buying complete rubbish from an overpriced catalogue because "his prize was on the way" - and we never managed to persuade him it was a scam. He wasted tens of thousands.
My father was a member of Mensa, happily married to his second wife, plenty of familial support around - and still they got him!

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Can you contact trading standards in respect of the scam. It is possible that your FILs starting with dementia, our Mother was scammed for s large amount at a time before we realised she was no longer able to really mange her money. The more we said it was not right the more determined she was to carry on. I think you are right to be concerned, his behaviour seems to indicates that he is not able to work out consequence and the logical conclusion that he is not getting his money back.

I agree with agnurse!

This situation must be so frustrating for you HI954

Agnurse, some time ago we did actually instigate an adult safeguarding referral on the grounds of financial abuse but when social care visited he denied at all and showed then the door!

It's unfortunate, but again, it's one of those situations where as long as he's cognitively intact he can spend his money as he wants. I think you've basically done everything you can - you've expressed your concern and stopped the gravy train. While it's frustrating and sad to see him waste his money, it's HIS money and he's still cognitively intact with control over his own affairs. The only way you could do something would be if he's not able to make his own decisions, in which case you could contact Adult Protective Services.

They're the person who was the instrumental in FIL getting into debt, borrowing hundreds and thousands of pounds from close friends on the pretext of getting more than double their money back and still continues to exploit the rest of the extended family. Me and my OH have parted with nothing apart from the cost of some food etc some time ago but I put a stop to that when "driving force" moved in.

Ah, so another person is in the picture! So, what role so they play?

Yes Phoenix, a person! And we have tried to make FIL see the light but he's in denial. He is adamant that a van will pull up outside the house laden with money. He even claims that he recently had a phone call one evening and the caller said they were having trouble finding the house! I'm thinking of printing some information off that I found on the internet regarding these scams and giving it to FIL and his lodger !

If you know it's a scam, do you think that putting the evidence (newspaper reports etc) under his nose would have any effect? (Probably not, but might be worth a try.)

You say that "the driving force behind all this now lives with FIL"

Are you referring to a person?

Many thanks GN members, yes we know it's a scam but he won't accept it. Me and OH haven't parted with anything for some years and no longer do a food shop or even supply a Christmas hamper as the driving force behind all this now lives with FIL. OH and myself are applying tough love but of course we have no control over the rest of the family. FIL remortgaged the house and took out a huge loan to fund this ridiculous venture and became very friendly towards me recently when I inherited some cash from my side of the family, needless to say he got nothing!

Looks like it will be fun when he dies and the bank forclose on the property to pay off his loan and mortgage.

I guess I knew what the general opinion would be regarding my post but I really needed to vent, sorry!

If I may ask, what is this "investment arrangement?

Is it perhaps one that has been proven to be a scam, but he doesn't want to accept that he had been taken in?

Or has he not divulged any info?

Sorry H1954 I agree with other posters. As long as the family continues to enable this behaviour nothing will change. Tough love is called for here.

Are your husbands (presumably his sons) totally spineless?

Until you all stop subsidising him, he will continue.
If he finds his food supply dries up, he will soon sort out is priorities.