Support John: A Life of Honesty and Work

My name is John Thomas and I am retired. I have worked all my life at different jobs. I always believe that hard work is the backbone of your life. I have worked in a library, gas station, prison, probation, etc. I did not amass a fortune to pay my bills and have a roof over my head. I have always worked out of honesty, authenticity, and doing what is right.

Unfortunately, I trusted someone who said they needed my help: they indicated they had a bad family life. They told me they were abandoned and their mother died when they were a teenager and the other family members did not help after losing the only parent they knew. They were living in their car, needed food and better shelter. They kept begging for more things with the promise to pay me back. They showed me their bank account and would send me some money if I paid fees, etc., and I believed them.

I know now, way too late, that they were not as they portrayed themselves. They used one name, which turned out to be fake, and a whole other history under another name. I found this out after I tried to file harassment charges with the police. Instead of helping me, the police said they considered it a loan and not a scam. They will not help me file charges. I gave this person my retirement money, all my savings, and now, I cannot pay for my medication or basic bills.

I may lose the sight in one eye because money used to pay for my medication is not there. My doctor said this will be the norm for the rest of my life. After having surgery on my eye, a tear with bleeding occurred and cannot be repaired, and I must have steroids for the rest of my life.

I realize they took advantage of me. I requested a total of all charges I sent to him so I could file a civil case with the total amount. All other agencies were very cooperative: Venmo refunded all my money, Discover took all transactions off my card, and my bank refunded all money for one month of transactions. I have kept all informed of all activity and research. I can now, with the total from Cashapp, submit a claim in civil court; however, the odds of recouping any money are slim. My hope is to stop them from scamming others. In my research, I realize now this is more than one person and potentially a larger group scamming many people. The magistrate where I tried to file criminal charges agreed it was possible.

I am working hard to bring awareness to others and to get legal action against this person. I am reaching out to you to help me pay some of my upcoming expenses until my situation improves.