Every red flag is there, but my 81 year old dad still believes her
Sorry for this long post. I don’t usually air my laundry but I honestly don’t know what else to do, so I figured I’d try here because maybe someone has seen something like this before.
My dad is 81 years old and I truly believe he’s being catfished by a woman who says her name is Lesly. She claims she’s from Marseille, France, has kids, and was supposed to fly here this week to move in with him.
This has been going on for months. During that time she somehow convinced him to download multiple messaging apps because she always has some reason why she can’t communicate normally. At one point she supposedly had her phone stolen at the airport. Then there were problems with visas, passports, hotels…it’s always something.
One of the stories is that she recently sold her yacht and has plenty of money. She’s also told my dad she has money sitting in a U.S. bank account but can’t access it for one reason or another. So according to her, she’s not broke…she just can’t get to her own money right now. Every time one problem is supposedly solved, another one pops up.
She was supposed to arrive this week, but now the story is that her visa expired and she’s stuck in a hotel. I’m almost certain my dad is paying for whatever this latest emergency is.
The biggest red flag happened when someone called my dad asking for $25,000. They even called him “honey,” which my dad admitted Lesly had never done before. That finally made him suspicious enough to have my sister delete the apps from his phone, but somehow he still believes Lesly herself is real and that someone else is just interfering.
He has already rented a month-long Airbnb for her and her children because she was supposedly moving in. He’s spent thousands already, and we’re terrified this is just the beginning.
Now we’ve gotten copies of documents she sent,, including what looks like a fake yacht sales contract, along with a name, address, and birthdate that we’re trying to verify. None of it is adding up.
My sister and I have tried everything. We’ve shown him articles about romance scams, explained how these scammers work, and pointed out every inconsistency. He listens politely, then comes back with another explanation they’ve given him.
It’s heartbreaking because this isn’t someone who’s lonely and sending a few hundred dollars. This could literally wipe out his retirement.
Has anyone dealt with a parent who was this deep into a romance scam? Was there anything that finally got through to them? At this point we’re running out of ideas, and I honestly feel like we’re watching a slow-motion train wreck.