Hi everyone. My name is Kerri. I’m organizing this fundraiser in hopes of helping my 80 year old mom recover some of the money she was scammed out of. This is her, and yes she looks great for her age : )

She recently switched from Shaw to Telus and was having trouble getting everything set up. She called Telus and was told she’d receive a call back. When she later got a call from someone claiming to be Telus Support, he seemed to know detailed information about her account, so she had no reason to suspect he wasn’t legitimate.

Unfortunately, he convinced her that her computer had been hacked and walked her through a series of steps on her computer, all while assuring her he was fixing the issue. He told her she needed a protection package, offered her a “discounted” yearly rate, and sent her a link to e-transfer the payment—just under $800. She sent the money and even received a confirmation email.

Within a week, an additional $8,000 had been drained from her bank account.

My mom has always been kind, generous, and quick to help others—including me. If I had the $8,800 to give her myself, I would do it without hesitation. It breaks my heart that this happened to her.

The scam has been reported to the bank, Telus, the police, and everyone else the authorities advised her to contact. Unfortunately, the police said there is no chance of recovering the money. Looking back, there were several red flags, but she missed them—and she feels embarrassed and upset that she trusted the wrong person.

This has had a huge impact on her, and I just want to do whatever I can to help ease the burden. Thank you for taking the time to read her story and for any support you can offer.