THEY ARE BASTARDS!
We just got an email sent to MSE. The spelling was awful, and it was quite tough to understand. Lower down, the writer later explained she was 78 and her disability had stopped her being able to spell. So perhaps it is a stroke, or something similar.
I've tidied it and summarised below, changing some identifying details. In a nutshell, it was this...
"I invested, Martin, with Quotum when you first announced it on TV. What an opportunity for me to buy my own flat. My manager there passed me through to a nice man who asked me for £350 more. He showed me it was growing. I did what he told me to do."
She then goes on to explain how she really wanted her flat and she gave more and more money. And she has nothing left to help with her disability.
I'm honestly in tears typing this. These types of scam ads have now been going on for a decade. I have spent my career trying to help people with their finances. It feels visceral to get this, and to feel that this reputation has been perverted by criminals to steal from someone who is clearly so vulnerable leaves me feeling nauseous.
So many people, both vulnerable and not, lose money and see their lives and wellbeing destroyed. It's now seven years since I sued Facebook. And yet still nothing is being done.
Big tech makes £3bn a year from these scammers. We have a law in place to make them responsible for these ads they're paid to publish, yet it isn't implemented. How many more of these do I have to receive - and far worse, how many more people have to go through this?
This is relentless. It is wrong. Government has to take action! I wrote to the PM just two weeks ago on this very issue. I've not heard back yet.
(We are, of course, going to try and point her in the right direction to get help, but that will be stressful for her too)
@anne_hegerty@TheFamousArtBR There's also the problem of chef's travelling to/from a place of work with their knife sets - the majority would only ever use their own.
#BGT#BritainsGotTalent@BGT PLEASE dump #KSI for next year, he's only interested in acts HE likes & doesn't think what the public would like. He has 0 idea on what talent is!
#BGT#BritainsGotTalent@BGT PLEASE dump #KSI for next year, he's only interested in acts HE likes & doesn't think what the public would like. He has 0 idea on what talent is!
@JohnBarrowman So sorry to hear your news, John. I know that whatever I say will be of little help at the moment, but please believe me when I say things will get easier in time. You will all have wonderful memories to share & help you through this. Sending you all love & support xxxx