I feel disgusted--used..

As a couple people have said, you got off easy. Just cut them loose from your life.
I have a friend who loaned one of his co-worker "friends" $1000.00 because the guy told him
a sob story about how tough his life was, trying to make ends meet, etc, etc.

That was six years ago. Since then, the 'friend' was awarded $25,000 in an insurance settlement.
He gave my buddy $200.00 of the $1000.00 he owed him. He said that was all he could do at the time
because he had so many bills. He was, however, able to buy a pool table and a giant flat screen TV.

I've worked with lots and lots of sociopaths in my lifetime, but sometimes it still amazes me how different they are from you and me. If I were you, I wouldn't feel bad about doing what you think is right. I'd look at it from the perspective of the old adage: fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

We can't always tell when we are being conned, and I don't care how much experience a person has dealing with people like these, eventually you will be fooled. No one is a 100% correct B.S. detector. I feel for ya, I hate it when I get used, too. Nothing for it but to vent and then move on in whatever way you can away from these toxic individuals. Best wishes for you.

Threaten to turn them in unless they agree to go on the Gerry Springer show (then we can all watch).

I have a real problem with people like that. Personally I'm on disability because of schizophrenia, I work extremely hard at trying to hold a job and learn new skills when I can but that's not always possible. I don't hold fundraisers or anything for my own benefit. I have nothing against people trying to raise money to try and cover high cost surgeries and such or even living expenses in expensive areas (disability pays very little), but when people are scamming the system they deserve to lose everything they have. I know a guy who has the lower half of his body paralyzed. He collects disability, works off the books for cash as an artist, claims he's a student despite dropping out 2 years ago, is on HUD through claiming he's a a full time employed student (he's neither), claims no income to maximize food stamps, and is getting workmans rehabilitation to pay him $1500 a month to cover the rent HUD is actually paying, and the tuition for his classes he doesn't enroll in or even attend anymore. On top of that workmans rehabilitation has bought him a car (and converted it so he can drive it without his legs), a $5000 custom built solid oak work desk, a $4500 computer so he can do his tech related work, and other stuff. I know this is what he's getting because he used to be a friend of mine and would brag to me about all the stuff he's getting for free. Oh and he has a roommate that's paying him to live there as well (his apartment is a 3 bedroom despite HUD usually only paying for 1 bedroom places... he got it because his sister that's a doctor wrote a fake note saying he needed it for rehabilitation). On average he gets one ~$5000 toy every 3-4 months and nearly $3000/month in government payouts.

I secretly turned him in but nothing was done, the various agencies just don't care. Meanwhile people who actually do need the help and play by the rules go without.

I saw something like this on court tv recently. A lady pretended to be sick and raised a bunch of money plus a local church had a fundraiser as well. She got pissed bc the church wouldn't give her cash and she was refusing to take a check. I don't know all the details but she ended up being investigated and prosecuted.

People who do things like this make it hard for people who have legitimate need! Once people get burned they will be less likely to help in the future and that's just sad.

I once had a kid in a group home I managed whose mother lied to the make a wish foundation and convinced them he was dying so he could meet Brittany Spears and go to her concert. Well this was going to be taking place while he was under our care. Once I found out what was going on I immediately put a stop to it. The kid was not dying and he was having too many behavioral issues to be going to something like that anyway. The mother was working the system at any angle she could. I felt bad for the kid bc she was receiving SSI for him and living off it herself. She would have him placed in facilities like the one I managed for as long as possible until she was about to lose the check and then she'd pull him out, keep him for a few weeks them have him admitted to another facility.

I will say though that in my 10 years of working within that arena, I only came across 3-4 parents doing similar things. Averaged with the number of kids we took care of during that time it would be less than 1%.

OP: I would suspect that there must be some kind of insurance fraud going on here and I would suggest you facilitate the discovery of said fraud by law enforcement agencies. These people are obviously milking the system and you, and everyone else, have to pay more money on insurance premiums, etc because of it. If they can take a vacation then they certainly can manage to go to work.

It sounds like you are a very caring and nice person and these people have unfortunately used your nature against you for their own benefit. As the other posters are suggesting I too think you should distance yourself from these people, because not only do they sound like cons, they could also drag you down later if they are ever investigated for fraud.

Please continue to be the caring and nice person you are and don't let these low lives discourage you from the potential good everybody has inside of them.

question is, are you mad because they didnt include you in on the scam, or because you got scammed? lol


its complete fraud and totally against the law to ask for donations to a fake cause, why do you insist on still calling them friends also? friends or not id leave an anonymous tip at police station from a pay phone with all the info, links and flyers from vacations ect ect.

People like that really burn my cookies! There is a woman that rides my bus, and we have to wait a few extra seconds for her to get on and get her GUIDE DOG settled in the seat beside her. I don't know where she works, or what she does, but she gets on that bus 5 days a week, and she can't see her own hand in front of her face.

I think the IRS might be interested in the sisters' extra unearned income.

As long as you know you did your bit deep down I wouldn't worry about what anyone else does, as if its a negative thing it will always come back and bite them in their rear end.

reply to post by ~widowmaker~


I feel a little insulted...I would NEVER be in on a fundraiser to go on a cruise or anywhere for that matter. I have two little girls at home..I would never get way with " the girls" on vacation out of the country without my family...heck I have a hard time going to the grocery store without them..I'm NOT that type of person. I called them 'friends out of habit I guess...since I have known them since we were little....I got used..I should have known because it happens to me a lot...I don't know why I still trust people outside of my immediate family...I guess I still have hope for decent people but the older I get..I see that people are jerks...i just feel like I can't trust anyone....

So no I'm not jealous that I wasn't 'in' on it...i certainly wasn't raised to use people or lie to people for gain! I have decided to let it go..I have also decided to cut off any ties to either of them...I was just feeling hurt that I got used AGAIN and needed to let it go..I chose ats because I don't really go anywhere else online that I talk to other people.

I agree with the other posters.

Swallow the pride and let them go. It was only ten bucks. It could have been way worse.

Just try not to think about them putting your ten bucks on red at the roulette table......just kidding of course.

Be the better person and just forget about them.

I wouldn't even write them. It will just stir the pot.

Just let it go, you are better than them.