Back to page

A Cruel Scam Took Mum’s Savings — Your Kindness Can Help Restore Her Independence

  • Our story is on Seven Sharp - Speaking Out to Protect Others!

      15 April 2026

    Tonight (Wednesday 15 April), Mum’s story will be shared on Seven Sharp.

    This wasn’t something she wanted to do, but she chose to speak out to help raise public awareness about scammers who deliberately target elderly people.

    We are incredibly proud of her courage and strength. Her hope is that by sharing her experience, it might help protect others from going through the same ordeal.

    We also want to acknowledge the Seven Sharp team, who were kind, respectful, and wonderful to work with throughout the process.

    If there’s one small thing we encourage everyone to do, it’s this: please check in on your elderly whānau, neighbours, and friends. Have open conversations about scams, offer support with online or financial matters, and remind them that asking for help is a strength, not a weakness.

    Thank you all for the continued support, messages, and generosity. It truly means so much to our whānau.

      0 comments  |  Login to leave a comment

  • This Is Why We Need to Talk About Elder Fraud

      28 February 2026

    For those who couldn’t access the Herald article due to the paywall, here’s a free link covering the same story via Stuff:

    👉 https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360928200/serial-scammer-swindled-91-year-old-womans-life-savings

    We were incredibly grateful to be offered a very generous at‑cost deal from a retailer for Mum’s lift chair, which we accepted. I’m paying that off on my credit card. While we truly appreciate the donations received so far, they haven’t yet covered what I still owe.

    Mum is coping, but with her savings gone I’ve had to pick up the shortfall for some recent, necessary home maintenance as well. That’s the part that hurts her the most, someone who carefully planned her life to remain financially independent now has to ask for help, and she feels like a burden because of it.

    Please keep sharing this story. Awareness is one of the few ways we can help prevent this from happening to someone else.

      0 comments  |  Login to leave a comment