PHISHING, FRAUD, AND FINANCIAL RUIN

The Pop-Up That Cost Her Everything: How Mom Fell Victim to a Scam

A cautionary tale about scams and the vulnerability of our parents

Rodney Lacroix
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Published in
12 min readJun 10, 2024

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A cautionary tale of how easily the elderly can be scammed even when they know better.
Photo by Kanchanara on Unsplash

I still can’t stop shaking my head when I think about it.

It happened while my wife and I were vacationing in Amsterdam. We were at the tail end of our eight-day Paris/Amsterdam trip when I called my mom on the day before our departure.

Saturday

Mom: Hello?
Me: Hey. I just wanted to remind you that Ash will be coming home tomorrow so I need you to be there.

Our youngest daughter, Ash, was spending the week at her dad’s house while we traveled Europe. He would be bringing her home on the day we were returning, but since we were not expected to get home until late, my mom agreed to be there for her.

Mom: Yep. I know. I’ll be there and we will probably go to dinner.
Me: Okay, thank you. Love you and see you tomorrow.
Mom: Love you too and have a safe trip.

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Rodney Lacroix
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Rodney Lacroix is a humorist, and author of several books, including “The Vasectomy Diaries” and “Romantic as Hell.” He has 4 kids and is super tired, you guys.