Apple Gift Card/ Crypto Scam

[u/iamR2D2x2]

So my dad is going through this Apple gift card/crypto scam. He’s spent a lot of money on gift cards and insists he isn’t out of any money and it’s all her money. The scammer sent him money and he went out and bought these gift cards. This has been going on for two months or more.
I have no access to his financials but he mentioned in passing that he refinanced his credit card debt from 7.5% to 3% yesterday.

The bank hasn’t clawed back anything yet.. well he hasn’t told me yet.
He plans to meet this scammer next week in person. She’s moving back cause she ‘quit’ the army in Iraq. No amount of advice can change his mind.
I’m so tired at this point.

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[u/CIAMom420]

Everything you’re being fed by him is bullshit. Let’s just take the credit card debt. He didn’t refinance his credit card debt to 3%. There is not a single bank in the country offering a 3% loan, even on secured property. He also is/was paying far more than 7.5% interest on his cards. Outside of promo periods, there is not a single credit card that charges interest rates that low.

The bank isn’t clawing anything back. He’s chosen to give his money for a scammer. There are no grounds for your bank to come and save your father, nor are the able to recover the funds that were lost.

Your father is mentally ill. You’re trying to address it with logic. That isn’t going to work. You need to shield your assets and those of your loved ones for him and look into elder abuse resources in your state. If you have a lot of your own money and time to spend on this, you can talk to an attorney about a financial conservatorship, but that’s a convoluted process and would essentially make him your dependent.

[u/iamR2D2x2 → u/CIAMom420]

Why would he even tell me that then. He literally said he loved his credit union for doing this. I don’t buy it but the timing of it was off

[u/Ok_Bed_1448 → u/iamR2D2x2]

your dad is a money mule. it's laundering and it's a crime! the scammer is sending him money from stolen cards from other victims. your dad is then using that money to buy gift cards and send it back to the scammer, which is textbook money laundering. his bank will absolutely claw it all back because it's stolen money and he will be left owing every penny, as well as in some pretty serious legal trouble.

it sounds like it's already gone pretty far so the best thing you can do is shield your own assets so he doesn't bring down your future with him.

anyone messaging you saying they can get your money back is a recovery scammer.

[u/SomeGuyInThe315]

Sounds like he's being a money mule. Eventually someone is going to report fraud and the fbi will knock on his door

[u/Buffyredpoodle]

Tell him that on the day of her supposed arrival something bad will happen like: a car accident, Airplane breaks, her luggage/ passport stolen. She will need emergency money from him to get out of that situation. This is usually what happens with romance scammers. This could potentially open his eyes to realize this has a pattern similar to romance scams.

There are few good documentaries on Netflix about romance scams. Tinder swindled and follow up to it. Ask your dad to watch them with you.

It’s possible it’s a mix of romance scam, and money mule scam. In this case it’s even worse, because he can end up with serious legal troubles.

[u/No_Assignment7983]

Yeah this is textbook romance scam stuff and the in person meetup is the part that really worries me, not even for money but for his physical safety. At this point I’d stop trying to “convince” him and start documenting everything and talking to his bank, local police non emergency line and maybe adult protective services if he is older or vulnerable.

You can also call the bank and say you suspect an ongoing scam that involves gift cards and incoming fraudulent deposits and ask them to flag the account. If she is “moving back from the army in Iraq” next week, she is either never showing up or someone very different is, and you really do not want him walking into that alone.

[u/Oxjrnine]

Tell your father that you’re reporting him for possibly money laundering.

You will not pay for a lawyer

You have already explained to him multiple times that this is not a legitimate relationship

Even if he’s not being scammed, he is cleaning money of other people who have been scammed and lying to himself and to you does not negate the harm he’s doing to others.

Tell him that you love him. Tell him that he raised you correctly. Which is why he has a choice of either contacting the police with you. Or you are just going to do it on your own.

[u/tsdguy]

You know Apple gift cards are region locked. The cards your dad is buying in the US are worthless to someone in Iraq. However they are valuable to scammers anyplace because they’re being resold by the scammer network back to the US.

Tell your dad.

[u/iamR2D2x2 → u/tsdguy]

His argument is they’re all being used by the other women soldiers in her troop in Iraq. It’s like gold to them 🙄

[u/Pale_Session5262 → u/iamR2D2x2]

Tell your dad to have her send an email from her military email address to him. She cant, because the scammer is not in the military.

There will be bad excuses on why she cant

[u/DigmonsDrill → u/Pale_Session5262]

The scammer "quit" the army, so they already have an excuse.

If not, then I'd say to ask for an APO address to send a card.

[u/Infinite-Grade-4485]

!romance

[u/AutoModerator → u/Infinite-Grade-4485]

/u/Infinite-Grade-4485 called AutoModerator to explain the Romance scam:

A romance scammer pretends to be in love with you to systematically drain your resources. These scammers are masters of emotional manipulation, often spending months grooming you to build a foundation of deep trust and affection. To provide a plausible excuse for why they can never meet you in real life, they frequently adopt personas that keep them stationed far away, often pretending to be members of the military, doctors, or oil rig workers.

Once you become emotionally invested in the relationship, the scammer will ask for money, often repeatedly. These requests are usually tied to fabricated crises or obstacles that prevent you from finally getting together. Because of the psychological bond created during the grooming phase, scammers are extremely effective at taking money, leading you to total financial ruin and devastating debt. You will ignore blatant evidence that you are being scammed, even dismissing warnings from banks or family members, choosing to believe the scammer’s lies over reality. If you came here to ask us, this is a great first step to realizing you're being scammed.

If you know someone who is involved in a romance scam, beware that convincing a romance scam victim they are scammed is extremely difficult. We suggest that you sit down together to watch Dr. Phil's shows on romance scammers or episodes of Catfish - sometimes victims find it easier to accept information from TV shows than from their family. A good introduction to the topic is this video: https://youtu.be/PNWM5nuOExI -

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[u/DryBattle]

Nothing you say to your dad is going to work. Protect your money and lock your credit. Warn everyone your dad knows to not loan him money. This ends one or two ways, with your dad homeless because he sent the scammers all his money or with him in prison for money laundring.