Sometimes people only share their stories after they’ve gone through a challenging time. But it’s also important to learn from those in the middle of a scam to learn how people are manipulated and how vulnerable our loved ones can really be.

Today’s guest is Terri Proctor. Terri’s elderly mother has been scammed by romance scammers over the last three years. In trying to get help from different recommended services, she realized that no one was really interested in helping. She started the non-profit Stop Elderly Scams to educate and bring awareness to the community.

• [0:53] - Terri shares her background and how she was thrown into her situation. Her experience led her to founding a non-profit.
• [2:28] - Over the course of a year, Terri’s mother lost about $100,000 to a romance scammer.
• [3:30] - Terri’s mother was not treated like a victim. She was treated as a willing participant.
• [6:01] - There were many reasons why Terri’s mother was vulnerable to manipulation, including loneliness.
• [8:23] - It is sad to see the comments online about victims of scams.
• [10:23] - The shame and embarrassment a lot of victims feel causes them to not talk about the problem or seek help.
• [11:57] - In the beginning, Terri admits that she had a lot of anger and frustration that was also focused on her mother. It is better to listen and try to reason.
• [14:54] - Terri’s mother was stopped by a store manager from buying more gift cards. The manager has expressed concern that she is not the only one.
• [16:51] - Part of the vulnerability of Terri’s mother is loneliness.
• [18:47] - Other types of scams tend to target the elderly. It is hard to keep up.
• [24:08] - How can we help our loved ones without taking away their independence?
• [26:21] - People should feel free to talk about these issues. Terri shares how her non-profit is helping educate and make a difference.
• [28:46] - It is challenging to find the balance in helping loved ones and making sure they have their autonomy.
• [29:59] - When you think you’ve learned about one thing or one scam, another problem pops up.

Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.

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