From: nospam@needed.invalid   
      
   On Sun, 1/25/2026 1:19 AM, micky wrote:   
   > How to stop friend from being scammed.   
   >   
   > I hope you can help me.  My friend, the son of friends, is 38 and I've   
   > known him since he was 2.  He's been giving money to scammers who found   
   > him on Facebook.  He won't believe they are lying to him about the   
   > Pakistani orphans.   
   >   
   > Right now he's in a locked mental ward at a local hospital.  For the 3rd   
   > or more time over 10 years, and told me to get his laptop and use   
   > whatsapp for the PC to continue relations with his friends (that is, the   
   > lying scammers). When he gets out, he will try to send them hundreds of   
   > dollars from his Social Security Disability.   
   >   
   > However this goes, it may well end up ruining my 35 year friendship with   
   > him, even if I do no more than argue with him, but I want to do more and   
   > also minimize the risk to our relationship.  (I have his parents' avid   
   > encouragement.)   
   >   
   > I welcome suggestions and I'm asking if my plan is reasonable:   
   >   
   > I thought I could add a line to the HOSTS file which would stop Whatsapp   
   > from working.  That is his main, hopefully his only way of communicating   
   > with them. IIUC he would still have the chats that are there now, but he   
   > wouldn't be able to send new messages, by wifi or any other way.   
   >   
   >      Would there be an error message that blamed the HOSTS file, or   
   > would the user just be left confused? He probably has never heard of the   
   > HOSTS file but if the error message mentions it, he'll figure it out and   
   > undo it. He's smart (but gullible).   
   >      If he takes the computer to a repair shop**, will they likely find   
   > the problem?   And pretty quickly?   Once someone tells him the HOSTS   
   > file was edited, he'll know I was the one, and he may hate me forever. I   
   > would miss him, but more importantly, he needs friends  He's turned   
   > against anyone who argues with him about the scammers, except, so far,   
   > his parents.     **He is scared to drive now and doesn't, but may be   
   > able to find someone in walking distance, who works at home.  Might not   
   > even charge him if it doesn't take a long time.   
   >   
      
   While your situation is tougher than any I've faced,   
   I've had to deal with at least three people headed in   
   the wrong direction. It's draining. It's not rewarding work.   
   And it hardly serves a purpose when the person isn't   
   listening to you.   
      
   Your choices are:   
      
   1) deceptive antagonist:     The HOSTS file plan   
   2) in-your-face antagonist:  constant whiny arguments with the individual   
   3) The Adult Voice:          The (hopeless) Appeal To Reason   
      
   You have committing the individual as an option,   
   there is guardianship or power of attorney (of which   
   there are different kinds). None of these will particularly   
   keep this person off the street. Such things might help   
   if the person had a large nest-egg, and some scammer was   
   looking to milk the situation for $300K.   
      
   If he only listens to his parents, then The Adult Voice   
   has to be his parents. He needs friends, yet he doesn't   
   trust your opinion. So he's just using you, to get   
   to the laptop ???   
      
      Paul   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)