SINGAPORE: A worried son has turned to social media for advice after his elderly mother became entangled in what he believes is a Facebook scam.
On Wednesday (Feb 25), he shared on the r/askSingapore forum that his mother, who is in her 70s, has been chatting with several men on Facebook who gradually gained her trust. Over time, the conversations shifted toward money, with the scammers asking her to buy “gift cards” and “transfer the credits” to them.
Despite multiple warnings, explanations, and even heated arguments with family members, the son said his mother refuses to accept that she is being scammed.
“She is refusing to believe the family but instead siding with the scammers,” the son wrote. “She is stubborn and refusing to listen to authorities and information on scamming, claiming she has everything under control.”
The son also mentioned that he has already contacted ScamShield and made a police report, but feels there is little the authorities can do at this stage to stop her from continuing the transfers.
As a temporary measure, he blocked her ATM card to prevent further withdrawals.
“I have blocked her ATM card, but it’s a stopgap measure. She could go back to the bank and apply for a new one, and the transfers out will continue,” he wrote. “What do you advise I do?”
“Block off the internet and give her some old Nokia phone.”
In the comments, several Redditors shared that their own mothers had fallen into similar online scams, and they opened up about what they did to stop it or at least try to manage the situation.
One said, “This happened to my mum too, but we have her password too, so we were able to stop her eventually. Login and block people for her. Raise the security settings.”
Another wrote, “My mum was like that too…and she became a money mule. Now she’s in prison…. sigh. There’s no stopping them even after the IO spoke with her. Try to keep her busy; if you can, try to have someone be with her. Block off the internet and give her some old Nokia phone. All the best.”
A third commented, “My mum fell for the scam too. ‘Luckily’, she’s not savvy enough to know how to transfer money and asked me. I shut it down immediately and didn’t tell my dad or anyone else.”
A fourth advised, “Report to the police. They can restrict your mum’s access to her bank account under the protection from scam act.”
Aside from urging him to involve the authorities and restrict his mother’s online access, some Redditors suggested focusing on her emotional and social well-being. They said loneliness is often a big reason why elderly individuals become vulnerable to these scams.
One wrote, “Hmm, maybe bring her to the active aging centers so that she is engaged and hopefully starts making friends that she can talk to?”
Another added, “The main problem with a lot of these is that the scammers are spending more time with the elderly than the elderly’s own children. The relationship/emotional bond can thus be stronger than kinship and harder to break. To the rest out there, don’t neglect your parents and make it a point to spend quality time with them.”
What steps to take if you’ve been a victim of a scam
Here are some measures you can undertake if you’ve been scammed, according to ScamShield:
Contact your bank right away
Let them know about your circumstances. If your bank account has been compromised in any manner, the bank can take swift action to avert further financial loss.
Notify the police
You can visit the closest Neighbourhood Police Centre or Neighbourhood Police Post, or you can submit a police report online. You can also reach out to the Police by calling the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000.
If the situation is urgent, you can also dial 999.
Alert platform administrators
For scams related to online shopping, notify the platform administrators so they can promptly act against the fraudulent seller’s account.
Protect your accounts
If your account was hacked, spread the word to your contacts and reset your password as soon as you can.
You may also want to enable two-factor or multi-factor authentication and report the incident to the appropriate email service provider or social media platform.
Read also: Singaporean asks, ‘Is it okay to rely entirely on your partner to provide for you?’
