Support for Parents Scammed Out of Life Savings

My elderly parents were scammed out of their entire life savings just one day after I returned to the U.S. from caring for them in Israel. Someone cloned my voice, tricked them into thinking I was in danger, and sent taxis to collect everything. I’m raising funds to help rebuild a safety net for them.

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Less than 24 hours after I returned to the U.S. from Israel, where I spent five months helping care for my elderly parents and setting them up with long-term care and services, they were the victims of an elaborate scam.

Someone hacked my father's Viber account and called them using a cloned version of my voice. The person claimed I had been in a serious car accident, injured a pregnant woman, and was facing jail and surgery. My father was kept on the phone for four hours. At the same time, my mother, who has dementia, was kept distracted on the landline. They were terrified.

In a state of panic, they followed the scammers’ instructions and handed over all the cash they had. The scammers even sent taxis to collect it. They were told to put the money in bags and that it would be returned the next day, with receipts. When my father told me, I was stunned. It’s all so far-fetched, but my father said, "You were crying and begging for help." You're my daughter! They had a detective and a nurse. When my father asked to talk to me they said they were stitching my lip up. The level of evil to do this to elderly people is unfathomable to me. My mom has dementia but she loves me and was absolutely devastated.

This was everything they had saved over a lifetime of work, $50,000 in cash. Like many immigrants from the former Soviet Union, they distrusted banks and kept their savings at home, making them easy targets. Dementia and mental health struggles left them defenseless. I’d warned them about scams, but their love and failing health clouded everything. That vulnerability was exploited, and now it’s all gone. They had worked their whole lives, my father in chemical and plastic factories and my mother as an elder caregiver, to build a modest but secure life. It was gone in one evening.

I’m now back in New York, staying with a friend. I lost my job in March 2023 and have used up all my savings trying to stay afloat while continuing to support them. I’m doing everything I can to rebuild, and knowing now that my parents have no emergency fund is adding to the distress. With my mother’s dementia worsening and my father’s health fragile, I fear for their future.

This fund is to help create a safety net for my parents. Every bit helps. Thank you for reading.