'She opened up her heart,' cries daughter after mom left homeless & without food when $36k drained from account | 1NJD01J | 2024-05-01 05:08:01
A DAUGHTER was heartbroken after a romance scam left her mother homeless and without food or medicine.
Her 74-year-old mother lost $36,000 to the scam after being contacted online.
Chantel Westguard of Alberta, Canada, was left feeling helpless in the wake of an online scam that devastated her mother's life.
"These people took everything from my mother," Westguard told Global News.
Her mother, Jarmila Westguard, was targeted online for over two years by a man claiming to be a US Army sergeant.
He allegedly told her mother that he loved her and that they could be together if she helped him "escape."
"My mom was the type of woman that if you were good to her — she opened up her heart," said Westguard.
The woman even attempted to send an envelope to the US with $36,000 cash, although the payment was stopped and the 74-year-old was fined.
Banks were notified of Jarmila Westguard's actions, with many cutting her off and her family even institutionalizing her.
Yet, the woman proceeded to send the scammers cash, causing her to go without food and medicine.
She eventually became homeless and was hospitalized, ultimately dying in October last year, days before she was set to leave Ontario and join her daughter.
"She starved herself," said Chantel Westguard. "My mom didn't even look like my mother when she passed away."
<!-- End of Brightcove Player --> In a GoFundMe for her mother, Chantel offered insight into her mother's circumstances that left her vulnerable to the scammers.
She explained that the pandemic triggered fear and mental health issues in her mother, which left her homebound and seeking human interaction through social media.
"Unfortunately, this allowed my mother to be completely vulnerable to some serious scam artists, which led my mother to sell her house and give away over $300,000," she wrote.
FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE
Although the scam and her mother's unfortunate passing broke her, it also gave her the strength to take action, Westguard told Global News.
The daughter tried to "scam the scammers" by impersonating her mother and sending them texts assuring more money would be sent.
The scammers sent Westguard a physical address to send the funds, which she shared with police.
Cops in Illinois went to the address on the text, where a woman was questioned but not arrested.
She claimed she knew nothing about what happened and said she was also a victim.
Police told Westguard that the woman would be investigated for money laundering.
The U.S. Sun reached out to Westguard for comment.
INCREASING SCAMS
Romance and investment scams, known as "pig butchering" scams, have been on the rise, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, or CAFC.
<p class="article__content--intro"> As scams become more sophisticated with the use of artificial intelligence, it is important you know how to spot a scam and how to avoid them. </p> </div> </div> As part of these scams, fraudsters reach out to victims via social media and dating apps, where they develop a relationship and trust with the victim before requesting money.
Some warning signs for this type of fraud include someone professing their love despite not having met you in person or receiving friend requests from profiles that seem too good to be true.
Other signs include receiving requests to show you how to invest via remote access to your device, or investment opportunities with abnormally high return rates.
The CAFC suggested not accepting friend requests, sending money to unknown individuals, or giving out personal or financial information.
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