{"id":3195,"date":"2026-06-07T15:04:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T15:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=3195"},"modified":"2026-06-07T15:04:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T15:04:31","slug":"asking-eric-friend-lost-20k-to-dog-scam-what-will-happen-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=3195","title":{"rendered":"Asking Eric: Friend lost $20K to dog scam; what will happen next?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dear Eric<\/strong>: I have a 63-year-old friend who is miserable.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s working a job she hates and doesn\u2019t go out much. She is always broke, her car is about to die and she\u2019s talking about wanting to retire soon. She has no pension. The only thing she has is Social Security and half her ex-husband\u2019s pension.<\/p>\n

Read more Editorial: For 150 years, these 3 principles have guided the Orlando Sentinel<\/a><\/p>\n

She blew her retirement by being scammed out of more than $20,000 for a dog. She\u2019s embarrassed by this and beside herself at being scammed out of so much money.<\/p>\n

On top of that, she\u2019s been talking to a guy online for six months who supposedly lives in the States but is currently working out of the country.\u00a0She claims she has done a background check on him and he cleared, and he hasn\u2019t asked her for any money (yet), but I fear it\u2019s just another scammer.<\/p>\n

How do I give her advice without insulting her? I feel like she is very vulnerable and gullible and it boggles my mind how she fell for any of this. Any advice would be welcomed.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Multiple Scams<\/em><\/p>\n

Dear Multiple Scams<\/strong>: First determine if advice is being asked for. It could be as simple as listening to her and asking, \u201cAre you looking for advice, feedback or just to be heard?\u201d<\/p>\n

It sounds like she\u2019s under a lot of stress and so she may just want to vent. Showing her the respect of asking first will better set you up to be heard and trusted when and if you do offer feedback. You can even be upfront about what you\u2019re doing. \u201cI want to support you and I\u2019m afraid of insulting you, but I\u2019m also concerned about you getting scammed again. Are there ways that I can help prevent that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Scammers work best in the dark and in secrecy. Having a friendship that is built on communication, and honesty will help keep your friend safe.<\/p>\n

Dear Eric:<\/strong> Over the past 20 years, I have raised my three daughters without the help of my ex-husband, despite my many attempts to facilitate visitations and express their needs.<\/p>\n

He went to great lengths to hide his income, resulting in me only receiving (by court order) $354 in total per month for three girls who often saw their father by way of social media posts, taking extravagant trips to other countries, cruises, tropical beaches, et cetera, with his new wife and their children.<\/p>\n

I was trying to establish my career in culinary arts while raising my girls, often having days that I only saw them in the morning when I kissed them goodbye on my way to work at 4 a.m. and again at night to kiss them goodnight. There were many years of struggle I experienced during this time, but I continued to push forward.<\/p>\n

Read more 2 rescued after small plane crashes in Kissimmee<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Due to the unstable climate we are seeing in the economy, my work is no longer steady. All of a sudden I am finding it hard to make ends meet again. This has taken a toll on me mentally. I am embarrassed and ashamed of myself, feeling that I am letting my daughters down, as now they are worried about how I will take care of myself.<\/p>\n

It hurts emotionally in ways I cannot express, to feel that you are not someone who can inspire, motivate and make your children proud. This is not what they say about me, but it is how I view myself because I hate my children seeing me struggle so much.<\/p>\n

I am at a point now where my discouragement is draining me of motivation. I don\u2019t know how to regain the spark I need to keep pushing forward. Please provide me some advice that will help me to change my perspective<\/p>\n

\u2013 Discouraged<\/em><\/p>\n

Dear Discouraged<\/strong>: First of all, I hear you. You are not alone in this and the circumstances you find yourself in are not your fault. Any solution that you come up with right now doesn\u2019t have to be forever.<\/p>\n

As you\u2019ve demonstrated throughout your journey, you\u2019re resourceful, you\u2019re creative, you know how to use your talents even in difficult circumstances, and you\u2019re committed to your daughters. Those things are true whether or not you feel professionally successful.<\/p>\n

Contrary to what you might think, this is a perfect time to lean on your daughters a little. They will probably tell you that you don\u2019t need to have everything figured out in order to make them proud. They might be eager for the chance to help you out, be it emotionally, financially or logistically as you navigate your next step.<\/p>\n

Opening up to loved ones is a vulnerable endeavor, but it\u2019s so important sometimes. Shame can trap us in the dark and convince us that we have no options. Reaching out and sharing what\u2019s going on lets in the light.<\/p>\n

Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram @oureric and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more A raucous Copenhagen crowd cheers Denmark\u2019s 2026 Mullet Championship<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How do I warn her without insulting her?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice"],"yoast_head":"\nAsking Eric: Friend lost $20K to dog scam; what will happen next? - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=3195\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Asking Eric: Friend lost $20K to dog scam; what will happen next? - Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How do I warn her without insulting her?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=3195\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-07T15:04:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=3195#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=3195\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8\"},\"headline\":\"Asking Eric: Friend lost $20K to dog scam; what will happen next?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-07T15:04:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=3195\"},\"wordCount\":893,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=3195#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/9bb008b98fdbacc5e228994638e7454e.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Advice\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=3195#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=3195\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=3195\",\"name\":\"Asking Eric: Friend lost $20K to dog scam; what will happen next? 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