This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/scams by /u/cactuarjon on 2024-09-24 10:29:04+00:00.

I hear about it all the time, but now I’m experiencing it and I really don’t know what to do. My mum (60) recently became obsessed with Magnum PI, and then Tom Selleck, and then everything Tom Selleck has ever done/doing. Which lead her to, of course, join some facebook groups. Then she thought she was talking to the actual Tom Selleck, but she says that was a scammer, so she got a little scared. Then she joined another Tom Selleck fan club page who then selected her at random to receive a Tom Selleck voice note. Which she was besides herself about.

THEN - this escalated into her receiving messages from him and they started chatting through an app called Telegram. So, it’s been going on like this for some time now, it’s been 5 months. She says she has video chatted with both him AND his wife. A few months ago I had to tell her off as I became really concerned when she started buying Apple gift cards to pay to Tom Selleck’s agent company - Aevitas Creative Management - for a VIP membership card to do a ‘meet and greet’ with the actor which also allows premier screening opportunity to his new film that is coming out. So, at this point I tried to get her to see what’s going on, but with everything I say, there’s an excuse and then she refused to talk to me about it as she wouldn’t believe that this is a scam.

So, the things that have so far convinced her is the fact this ‘scammer’ has her convinced that he is working with the FBI to help put a stop to people who are pretending to be Tom Selleck, feeding her information that they’ve so far caught 28 people who do this and (this is something I don’t fully understand) but he is having her receive a reference number that he says is an FBI investigation number so that she can then give it to him. (I’m not even sure what that is all about). Anyways, she also say’s he’s bought her a piano (she’s really into playing the piano and recently had to sell her old one due to space - but regretted it). Apparently, this said ‘piano’ is being delivered next week and she has an invoice for it. Note that we are in the UK, so potentially this is coming from the US. And now as I’m writing this I’m thinking if it really is a piano coming, what’s the likely-hood that they will ask for cash on delivery? And if she can’t afford it, she will be absolutely gutted. Hmm… thats concerning.

Also, to top it all off, he has now pledged his love for her and he’s coming to the UK next year for 6 weeks (work related) which is when she will get her meet and greet and he has also said that it doesn’t have to stop there, they can go out for day trips and stuff while he’s here.

I don’t know what to do, She is stubborn and she is very gullible. Whats worse is that she is married and I even think her husband believes he’s the real Tom Selleck as well as he’s not the smartest tool in the shed. If i push for her to realise she is being scammed, it’s likely to sour my relationship with her which is not what I want. I’m concerned that this is now going too far. I spoke to her yesterday and she was in literal tears because as of yesterday, she couldn’t get hold of him, when she tried to connect to a chat with him, it just said it was connecting and would not go any further. I’m no religious guy, but i am praying so hard that he’s just gone, for good and thats the end of it. But if it’s not the case and he does come back from where-ever (my guess is that he’ll leave it some weeks or so, suddenly appear and then start giving her some story about how he’s in trouble and needs cash). And if it continues, this could hit her emotionally hard. She’s not the most emotionally stable person, it will make her ill. Worse, it could cause her to loose her marriage (as much I hate the guy, she does not deserve that), she could loose her house, and potentially her sanity if not her life.

What can I do? How can I prove to her this is a scam without her shutting me off? I need her to see sense.