From: nothing@invalid.com   
      
   In article <5pdank193tdbe7g8ium0jrvbrnqars4q5s@4ax.com>, NONONOmisc07   
   @fmguy.com says...   
   >   
   >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.   
      
      
   What jurisdiction is this - UK?   
      
   Legally, does he have "capacity"?  If not, then it would be normal for   
   his finances to be under the control either or a nominated   
   friend/relative or the local authority (Council) under either a Power of   
   Attorney or (more relevant) a "Deputyship" (something as it happens I've   
   been asked to take on for someone with dementia).  If he is genuinely   
   not capable of making his own decisions (which must include some bad   
   decisions) then those options ought to be pursued if not already in   
   place.   
      
   If he does have Capacity, and is simply making bad decisions, I think   
   your only option is to continue to seek to persuade him.  I'd use   
   Perplexity (or another AI research tool which is good at giving   
   references to follow up) to find case studies of these or similar   
   scammers.  If you're in the UK then the BBC (iPlayer) series "Scam   
   Interceptors" is a very good and persuasive watch. With things like this   
   people learn best from multiple examples rather than a single logical   
   argument.  But if you are going to "argue" with him, you need somehow to   
   tap into his emotional investment in what he's trying to do, and perhaps   
   divert this to a genuine charity.  To persuade anyone of anything, you   
   have to be seen by them as "reasonable", and that usually means finding   
   something you can agree on before introducing an alternative view.   
      
   Good luck!   
      
   --   
   --   
   Phil, London   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)