fraud and the elderly

jamesd

Keep_pedalling wrote: »

They have been cohabiting for 10 years

I've seen no indication at all that they were cohabiting in the usual meaning of that word.

Keep_pedalling wrote: »

he was not a lodger, so not paying rent proves nothing.

On the contrary, it's clear that he was expected to pay rent as a lodger and there may be a written agreement and/or past bank records to prove it and the amounts involved.

You appear to be choosing to disregard the description by the victim of the events.

OldBeanz

£20k would be the cost of 6 months or less in a home. She has been able to live at home for 10 years because of this person's help. Hope she is generous to him in her will.

mgdavid

jamesd wrote: »

..........
You appear to be choosing to disregard the description by the victim of the events.

to be fair, the description is coming from the victim's grandson's wife

coyrls

rosie_marc wrote: »

Sorry I dont know if this is the right place to post but I wondered if anyone could answer something for me, my husbands nan has been diagnosed with vascular dementia so how uncle recently became power of attorney for her and has been sorting through her finances now for the last 10 or a bit more years she has had this guy living with her his was a friend of her sisters and he is similar age to her but maybe a but younger (70's) anyway these past 10 years he has served a purpose fixing things around the house,shopping taking her place and appointments as he drives however it now transpires that over the last 10 years he has also scammed her out of nearly £20,000 he has now left her property after the threat of police was mentioned however my husbands family aren't calling the police as they say there is no point she allowed him to draw money from her account and she knew all her details obviously she can't remember every transaction but the most recent one she asked him to take £40 to pay water bill and the transaction shows he dree out £240 surely it's still fraud and regardless of wether or not she gave him access the police must be able to do something look at all his accounts etc??? Anyway just thought I'd ask her so if someone has a good reply I can show my mother in law and insist they go to the police. Thanks in advance

Has the person that was living with her given an explanation?

rosie_marc

I can't even responded because I'm so angry! He has taken advantage because she has said he has taken advantage she has never really had her won financial responsibility as her husband took care of it all before he died after that she lived with my mother in law but wanted to move back to her family home. I don't know when and how this man moved in but YES HE HAS TAKING THE ABSOLUTE !!!! OUT OF AN ELDERLY WOMEN WHO OFFERED HIM A PLACE TO LIVE!!!

Mr_Costcutter

rosie_marc wrote: »

) anyway these past 10 years he has served a purpose fixing things around the house,shopping taking her place and appointments as he drives

'served a purpose' - what a strange way of assessing the care this chap gave to your relative.

atush

Inform the police and perhaps Soc services as recommended. Thye wont be able to prosecute, they have no proof. But hopefully they will take note, or at least pay him a visit.

I dont know what he promised to pay or not, but 2 things strike me as odd.

That none of her family investigated him earlier, and that if he only stole 2K a year over 10 years, he wasnt much of a conman. I would have expected him to empty the lot?

atush

Mr_Costcutter wrote: »

'served a purpose' - what a strange way of assessing the care this chap gave to your relative.

Perhaps if the family (and their spouses) took better care of Nan, helping out, he would not have had such a hold over her?

Mojisola

rosie_marc wrote: »

I can't even responded because I'm so angry! He has taken advantage because she has said he has taken advantage she has never really had her won financial responsibility as her husband took care of it all before he died after that she lived with my mother in law but wanted to move back to her family home. I don't know when and how this man moved in but YES HE HAS TAKING THE ABSOLUTE !!!! OUT OF AN ELDERLY WOMEN WHO OFFERED HIM A PLACE TO LIVE!!!

And none of her family came to the rescue in the last ten years?

PensionTech

I can't even responded because I'm so angry!

I'm really sorry that some of the responses on here are so unsympathetic. I don't think they are particularly constructive. "She would have paid more than this for care" does not authorise theft. If I tell someone that I'm going to give them a lift to the station for free, I do not get to then steal the equivalent taxi fare from their wallet without their knowledge. If this guy was indeed taking money from your husband's grandmother without prior authorisation or a common understanding that he would do so, then yes, I agree that this is criminal, regardless of what other services he may have provided for her. The same goes for unpaid rent - although allowing him to live there for many years after the rent had lapsed, with (presumably) no proof of efforts to chase it up, will not help her position.

I agree that you need to be sure that there wasn't any agreement that he could take the extra money or stop paying the rent. People with dementia frequently become paranoid and she may be misremembering the arrangements. However, what you say about his scarpering when threatened with police action might back this up - although Mojisola's take on this is also possible.

But if you've assured yourself that this guy is a crook: what can you do? Without good evidence, my (very unqualified) opinion is that your position is unfortunately quite weak, and there is little chance of getting any money back. By all means look into police action if you want - but I would not hold out too much hope.

I also second the view that this is perhaps not the best forum to help you, being concerned as it is with pensions, investment and taxation, and this one may be better.