Five (5) days ago was…life-changing, empowering, inspiring, overwhelming, bittersweet, and heart-rattling.
Why? Because I moved my mom into a memory care community.
Why? Because over the past six (6) months, she’s been involved in a romance scam.* A man moved into her independent living community (never paying for fees nor rent) and over the course of the six months usurped her apartment, convinced her to close a bank account (where her annuity and her social security deposits go) to open another bank account without my knowledge, took $400 cash, tricked her into signing up for a credit card and spent $1300 on it, convinced her the food at her place is not good and drove her to sign a lease in another apartment community, took her to another county to get a marriage license, repeatedly sabotaged every Tuesday lunch with phone calls interrupting our time together, and seven (7) days ago he bought her a new mobile phone and turned off her old one, which was my lifeline to her.
Over the past three months, we’ve encountered nine (9) Dallas Police officers working on our behalf to stop this man, one time involved a chase! The finale came last Sunday morning after the man rushed my mom out from her apt. to an unknown location. Three (3) stellar officers found her, and we were reunited at 11:00 am. She stayed with us (in our new, not completely unpacked, 1-bd apt) keeping Mark company while he worked and I moved her furniture and clothes to her new lovely home. Then, at dinner time, I took her over to the new place and she seemed happy to go in.
I hope and pray she’ll settle in and forget that man.
I am a mighty warrior!
Today I add “legal guardian” to my “empty-nester” title. I’ve learned so much lately about some laws (specifically squatter’s laws, trespassing, elder abuse, and guardianship) I feel like I had a crash course in criminal justice.
🥂Cheers to smoother days.
🥂Cheers to returning to my perky, active self.
🥂Cheers to new adventures for my mom.
Aloha🌺,
Denise
*A romance scam is a confidence trick involving feigning romantic intentions towards a victim, gaining the victim’s affection, and then using that goodwill to get the victim to send/give money to the scammer under false pretenses or to commit fraud against the victim.Wikipedia
