The Sweetheart Scam: How to Spot It and What a Power of Attorney Can Do in Laurens County

It starts with a friend request. It ends with a drained retirement account.

The sweetheart scam, also known as a romance scam, is one of the fastest-growing forms of elder financial abuse. Predators target seniors on social media or dating sites, building an intense emotional connection before asking for money. If you are your parent's power of attorney, you're often the first line of defense. Here's how to identify the signs and use your legal authority to stop the bleeding.

What Is the Sweetheart Scam?

A scammer creates a fake online identity to gain a victim's trust and affection. They "love bomb" the senior with constant attention, quickly moving the conversation away from the dating site to private text or email. Once hooked, they invent a crisis like a medical emergency, a blocked visa, or a business deal gone wrong that requires immediate cash.

How Can You Tell If Your Parent Is Being Targeted?

If your parent has a new online boyfriend or girlfriend, look for these warning signs. The suitor claims to be a U.S. citizen working abroad, often on an oil rig, in the military, or as a doctor, and cannot video chat. They profess deep love within weeks without ever meeting in person.

They ask your parent to keep the relationship or the financial help a secret from family members. They request money via gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency, which are methods that are untraceable and irreversible.

Can You Stop Your Parent from Sending Money as Their Power of Attorney?

This is the most common question we receive. The answer depends on your parent's cognitive capacity.

If your parent still has mental capacity and understands the consequences of their actions, a power of attorney does not give you the right to override their decisions, even bad ones. You cannot legally force them to stop spending their own money. Focus on education and gentle intervention. Show them articles about scams and offer to help manage the technical side of transfers, which gives you a chance to delay or prevent the transaction.

If your parent has been deemed incapacitated due to dementia or cognitive decline and your power of attorney is durable, you have a duty to act. You can legally contact their bank in Laurens County to freeze accounts, lower daily transfer limits, or redirect statements to your address to monitor activity.

What Legal Steps Should You Take Immediately?

If you suspect your parent is sending money to a scammer, alert the bank first. Present your power of attorney document to the bank manager. Ask to be added to the account as a signer and request alerts for any transaction over a certain amount.

Revoke the scammer's access by using your power of attorney authority to change all passwords immediately. Report the scam to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov.

If your parent is competent but refuses to stop sending money to a predator, you may need to petition the court for conservatorship or guardianship of the estate. This removes their legal right to control their finances entirely, but it may be necessary to save their life savings.

Protecting Your Parents with Compassion

Romance scammers are professional manipulators. If your parent is a victim, do not shame them. Instead, support them through this difficult situation.

We can help you navigate the legal options available to protect your parents' assets, whether through the proper use of power of attorney authority or pursuing conservatorship when necessary. Contact us at 478-272-2885 if you suspect your parent is being targeted by a romance scam.