Help - How to Prove a Scam

HollyandCo

Hi

I am trying to help an elderly friend.   My heart of heart tells me she is being scammed - this has already happened to her before and now it is happening again.   I have told her that I believe it is a scam, I have shown her a facebook page where people have said its a scam and even a website they have where a few people have managed to post that it is a scam.  But she still carries on ignoring what I have said and shown her.

She is already in by £1000 but she has told them she has anothe £10k and no mortgage on her property.   I overheard her speaking to them on the phone, they tell her she is very intelligent and to ignore the people who are telling her it is a ponzi scheme.   This lady lives on a standard state pension and a tiny personal pension - she still gets help with her Council Tax so this tells you she has very little wealth.

She 'believes' this is her new 'business' and she is actively promoting the company to other people and basically trying to recruit others.   I honestly feel these people are grooming her to get her to the next level of investment.  They are telling her that if she, invests with another group (their inside people, who really are in the know etc.........) she will quadruple her money and become very rich indeed.  She already believes by October her investment will allow her to draw down £4k per month.

EVERY SINGLE DAY, she logs into some website to move her interest into another account.  Its impossible for her to withdraw this so called interest but she believes this is real money.

The so called company is UBX.one  In a million years, this is an absolute scam and I just want to protect my elderly friend.

Any advice how I can prove the scam would be appreciated.

born_again

Not a regulated co in the UK. FCA.
No physical address on the site.

Personally you are going to struggle to get them to believe you. They simply believe them, more than you. 🤷‍♀️

HollyandCo

born_again said:

Not a regulated co in the UK. FCA.
No physical address on the site.

Personally you are going to struggle to get them to believe you. They simply believe them, more than you. 🤷‍♀️

I know.  She is not listening.  However, she is listening to these men who are actively 'telling her' to ignore her friends and that she is of a higher intelligence etc.

If anyone can think of any info that I could use to try to show her that this is a scam, I would really appreciate it.

Linton

UBX.one is (or claims to be) a crypto trading site.  The name was registered on 15/12/2024. Perhaps the registration date should indicate that it is not a well established company.

MEM62

Is there a family member close to this individual that may have more influence?  

SeriousHoax

100% scam.
If the person has been the victim of a scam, help them to report it. If they live in England or Wales, they can report it to Action Fraud. If they live in Scotland, they should contact Police Scotland.

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

https://www.scotland.police.uk/contact-us/

ButterCheese

Has she any family?  Try them first - it's likely that she has a son or daughter who doesn't want to get involved but they may well do when they know money is at stake.  You could also try ActionFraud (Police) and see what they say.  My Dad was victim to a similar scam about 20 years ago and the counter fraud section of the Police were quite helpful.  You never know, they might even offer to send round a uniformed officer to tell her that it's a scam.  Some people would say "the police won't do that, they don't have time" but you never know.  We actually had 2 very helpful Police officers do this for our stepson when he had mental health problems and wouldn't believe anything anyone was telling him, but a uniformed presence has much more of an impact

jaypers

Action Fraud is your first point of contact and they will be able to advise exactly what to do next as a relative. Your loved one sounds vulnerable so there are extra considerations they will take into account regarding this too. 

I’m involved with anti-fraud/scam initiatives in the Greater Manchester area. Happy for you to contact me privately if you wanted me to consult with colleagues to possibly help if you continue to get nowhere with this but I’m certain that Action Fraud will be of great help. Good luck. 

george4064

Kind of feels like you're at the stage where you just need to write a letter outlining your concerns, evidence of your suspicions that its a scam and draw the line there.

Ultimately, if they come crawling back if/once they realise its a scam at least you've made your thoughts clear that it was a scam all along.

HollyandCo

jaypers said:

Action Fraud is your first point of contact and they will be able to advise exactly what to do next as a relative. Your loved one sounds vulnerable so there are extra considerations they will take into account regarding this too. 

I’m involved with anti-fraud/scam initiatives in the Greater Manchester area. Happy for you to contact me privately if you wanted me to consult with colleagues to possibly help if you continue to get nowhere with this but I’m certain that Action Fraud will be of great help. Good luck. 

Thanks, that's really kind of you.  I will contact Action Fraud for sure, thanks.

jaypers

HollyandCo said:

jaypers said:

Action Fraud is your first point of contact and they will be able to advise exactly what to do next as a relative. Your loved one sounds vulnerable so there are extra considerations they will take into account regarding this too. 

I’m involved with anti-fraud/scam initiatives in the Greater Manchester area. Happy for you to contact me privately if you wanted me to consult with colleagues to possibly help if you continue to get nowhere with this but I’m certain that Action Fraud will be of great help. Good luck. 

Thanks, that's really kind of you.  I will contact Action Fraud for sure, thanks.

Feel free to message me privately as and when. Hope you get this sorted out. It’s a horrible crime and can be very worrying for friends and family.