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The internet has urged a woman not to give her parents money, who have lost theirs to scams.
Posted to Reddit's r/AmITheA**hole forum, a woman under the anonymous username u/snd19i shared her story to get opinions from the "AITA" community. The popular post has over 12,000 upvotes and 1,000 comments.
"My parents are terrible with money," the original poster (OP) began. She explained how her father gambled $100,000 in savings away in "risky" penny stocks that got wiped out in 2008, which forced them to move into a one-bedroom apartment. Then, her mother fell for a multi-level marketing (MLM) scam. That made them lose $28,000 and a down payment on a house they were saving for. The OP continuously "begged" them not to fall for the scams and showed them proof but they didn't listen to her.
She wrote, "Then recently they fall for a college signup scam and lost $32,000. They weren't signing up for college they just needed a loan and tried to go though a 'private broker' who promised to get them a school loan that they would use on whatever they wanted.
"I went with them to see the broker and told them it was a scam and they ignored me. So basically they were trying to scam the government and got scammed instead. I actually tried to pry the pen away from my father hands when I got desperate as he was writing down his bank info and SSN and he screamed at me I was embarrassing him and did it anyway," she continued.
Due to their bad credit, the OP's parents can barely afford an apartment and have to live in their car and are trying to lean on her to give them money. They also want to move in with the OP. However, she and her roommate have a rule where family and friends can only stay with them for one week. The OP is concerned that if she let them stay with her, they would never leave.
Newsweek reached out to u/snd19i for comment.
Types of scams and how to detect one
There are many types of scams out there. Per the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, common types of scams include charity scams, debt collection, settlement and relief scams, wire or money transfer fraud, mortgage closing or loan scams, lottery or prize scams, mail fraud and foreclosure relief scams.
Other scams to look out for are multi-level marketing (MLM) and pyramid schemes. Multi-level marketing—also known as network marketing or direct marketing businesses—are companies that sell products directly to people and want those people to get their family and friends to sell their product as well, so they can earn a commission on what the people under them sell. However, it's difficult for many people to find new recruits—and should they find them, those recruits will find it even harder to find more.
Pyramid schemes are similar to MLMs. However, in a pyramid scheme, the operator will use money from new recruits to pay off the "investment" of those who bought into the scam earlier. Pyramid schemes can last a while—but like with MLMs—the operator eventually will run out of new recruits.
How can you stay safe and detect a scam before it's too late? According to Ken Paxton, the attorney general of Texas, these are typical scam tactics:
- They contacted you first
- They dangle bait, typically money
- They ask for your personal information
- You are ordered to pay them first
- You must wire money or send gift cards with money loaded onto them
Redditor reactions
"[Not the a**hole]. DO NOT, DO NOT give them money," u/Antstst wrote, receiving the top comment of over 21,000 upvotes wrote, "Don't give them a cent. Don't let them through your door. Don't do laundry for them. Don't take them food. I have seen so many situations where kids who have worked hard to overcome their upbringings have been sucked back in and have ended up stressed and with no money. You can probably tell it makes my blood pressure increase just to read your post."
"I'm sorry, but your instincts are right on the money. Your parents require help, but not the kind of help they want from you. For now you're relatively safe thanks to the rule you have with your roommate, but when you do get your own house I'd consider not giving them your address to avoid harassment. They've ruined their lives, don't let them do the same to yours. [Not the a**hole]," u/MicciMichi suggested.
U/Embarrassed-Sweet905 said, "[Not the a**holes] You already tried to help multiple times. You would be foolish to give them money or let them stay with you. They'd be the financial equivalent of cement shoes."
"[Not the a**hole] it wasn't one bad decision but a series of them. You've already tried to help by keeping them from getting scammed/ making horrible financial decisions. Put your foot down (if you haven't already) and tell them they can not move in and that you will not sacrifice your future due to their poor decisions," u/Leimana73 commented.
About the writer
Ashley Gale is a Newsweek reporter based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her focus is reporting on trends. She has covered trends, ... Read more