“There are sheep in this world and there are wolves in this world.” Blind Jasper John – Peanut Butter Falcon

People see the world in all different ways and some can take advantage of you because you’re “too” trusting but that does not mean you aren’t strong! The world needs more kind hearts. They are getting way too rare. It’s not a weakness! It is a superpower to still see the good in people, even after they have taken advantage of you.

Please don’t let people with bad intentions harden you.
I’m certain that there will always be evil in this world.
Please remember that there are people fighting for you to stay just the way you are. People who really need your trust and warmth.

When in doubt, turn to those who will look out for you- family and friends. Too many people trust strangers over their own loved ones.

Unfortunately, scammers tend to prey on the weakest and easiest. Like elderly and disabled. People who often feel lonely and aren’t surrounded by many others. They know that means less people are there to warn you against them. They also know that it means the person will likely overlook much more out of a strong need for friendship or bettering their life. Knowledge is power and it’s also a scammer’s enemy.

These victims are often people on a limited budget but scammers don’t care if you wind up broke, homeless, you don’t eat, your electricity gets shut off…..

This subject has really been bothering me. I have nightmares about people possibly being taken advantage of.
After seeing some really awful things online, I feel an urgency to warn people about this. I hate every time I hear that some scam worked on anyone!

Scammers have recently taken to using pictures of military officers as their Facebook picture and go after hundreds of unsuspecting people pretending to be the love of their life. I think that is deplorable. Using America’s own military against us and slowly chipping away at so much that’s important to us. Please don’t let them.

People often think of things that I am oblivious to. I only see how obvious it should have been, when I look back. I may know my true intentions but I forget that other people don’t. It’s not that I don’t care. I just know that, to me, actions mean a lot more than words. I may seem aloof. I just don’t believe in self campaigning. I also don’t believe that people should so easily believe everything anyone tells them. I know I mean well but a murderer can tell you the same thing. Always be cautious!

Recently, I realized that a few people thought I make money doing this blog. I do not. I write these because I genuinely love helping people. I’ll just need $34….. I’m kidding 😂 

At first I was shocked but I thought about it and I love it! That’s the exact kind of cautiousness that I want people to have! Like I said, I know my intentions but you do not! I know I will do fine against scrutiny but people with ill intentions won’t and that makes me happy!

A person who experiences joy or pleasure when others are happy is often described as having “sympathetic joy” or “vicarious joy”. The term “compersion” refers to the feeling of happiness when someone else experiences joy. This is often contrasted with schadenfreude, which is the feeling of pleasure at another’s misfortune. 

Even people who have great intentions, benefit from the nice things they do. It’s human nature to be selfish for survival. I don’t think that anyone is purposely more or less selfish, people just get joy from very different things sometimes. A lot of people get more joy from giving or doing favors than the recipient does while other people just can’t relate to that feeling at all. There are so many different balances of the two. I think a lot of that has to do with your DNA mixed with life experiences. Two people can have identical incidents but react in completely different ways.

When I became disabled, I think that was one of my hardest struggles, suddenly not being able to do anything for anyone. I am not a selfish person but people kept telling me- think about yourself now, do what makes you happy! I don’t think anyone quite understood how that has been my entire existence and what brings me joy. Without feeling useful and making people smile, I feel horrible. It brings me such joy seeing other people happy!

Someone was recently telling me about awards they have won. I don’t think I’d ever have an interest in winning an award. Do you know what keeps me going and touches my heart? Things people have said to me lately: You have made such a big difference in my life, I’m proud to call you my friend, you have really helped me so much, you have a good heart, you make me smile, thank you for always being there, I love you….. Those are my awards and will always stay close to my heart!

Please remember that not everyone has good intentions towards you. Scammers will swear to anything and say anything to get what they want. Swearing on their own life or even the lives of their own children.

My Facebook support groups eventually get these people out. But not before they do some damage. Yes, these scammers shamelessly go to tbi, mental health, cancer, MS, wheelchair….. support groups and take advantage of people’s desperation for things that they really need.

Although groups eventually remove them, more are always there to fill the void. 
By falling for them, you aren’t just losing things. It also shows them that it works and they should take advantage of someone else because it pays off. So you’re not just watching out for yourself, you’re discouraging them and maybe preventing it from happening to others.

I think these people justify it to themselves by thinking about the dire needs of their own family. They don’t see that the biggest damage is often to minds. People feel defeated and disappointed in themselves.
Something like that destroys your trust in everyone. It makes you lose trust in yourself.
It can also make people bitter and mean. It’s for a good reason. Either way, it robs people of so much more than money.

So to these scammers – you are causing so much more damage than you think.

I took screenshots of a few. There are hundreds. Some tell people that they run a charity that gets wheelchairs donated. They’ll send the one you choose, you just have to pay for shipping and even ask for your measurements so it seems more official. They get your money but that chair will never come. Some tell people in suicide support groups that they saw visions of love, health and happiness. There’s even a scam stating QVC has a wonderful deal on wheelchairs. It also works on completely guilt ridden family members. Please excuse the strong feelings in them. I think they deserve it!

I know people don’t like to seem more vulnerable to their loved ones. When you start having to hide things from people because “they just won’t understand”, that’s a big warning sign! Your loved ones have your best interests at heart.

If you don’t want to get advice from someone in your life, come here! Message me! Go to my support group or any other group and ask people for advice. Do not send money or give your personal information to anyone. Please! I hate the thought of anyone being taken advantage of!

The part of the brain that triggers fear works faster than the part of the brain that controls reason.
That’s why scare tactics work. They rely on speed and surprise so there is little time for reasoning.

A lot of scams take advantage of urgency combined with fear .
-Hurry up and send money or someone will die, give your Medicare number so it’s not cancelled, you’ll be arrested by the IRS unless you pay immediately, you are the love of their life and they are counting on you for help, someone will hurt them or your family, etc….. and storing your credit card information on your phone makes it way too easy to act without having time to think. Having to go get your card and enter all the numbers, gives you a minute or ten to think. It also makes you frustrated so you’re being critical – is this really worth all of this?

Some people don’t even think they are scammers but pretend to be disabled to either get money or “perks”. Sometimes it’s something they see as harmless like getting in a wheelchair to cut a line or board a plane first. It may seem harmless at the moment but things like that make people hesitant to trust others who are disabled. Nice people assume people are never mean to those with disabilities but trust me, it happens often. Mostly because of people doing things like this:

Some of the most vile scammers are actually some of the companies that legitimately supply medical equipment. The same exact item made for everyone, if it’s for disabled people, it suddenly costs five times as much. I feel they also prey on guilty family members. That’s usually their target because those in the industry know that most disabled people can’t afford it. This has drained thousands from people, making them unable to afford anything. They probably have stolen more than scammers have, LEGALLY, because people trust them.

Insurance covers a basic chair but doesn’t cover any of these specialty items. I saw a cool off-road wheelchair and the base price, without alterations, was 20k! It’s debilitating to become disabled. You can’t afford to get basic things that will help you live life. I see all of these amazing things that are available but most aren’t obtainable by anyone I know.

A random person may think we’re ok but we are not. Things for people with disabilities are several times more expensive and we’re expected to handle all of our needs on a small fraction of a usual income. It makes me so sad that I was just explaining to someone how to get equipment that he desperately needs and that people feel so lucky when they can get something that they need to live life! Imagine someone telling you that you have to apply to use your legs every few years just to get around and that if you weren’t fortunate enough, you were stuck in bed? Then imagine bad things happen and something breaks. You have to request a device to get around and wait to see if you are lucky enough to be allowed to get out of bed.

Insurance and medical supplies….. That’s such a loaded subject. Big enough to require a separate story so it can be the spotlight. It really should be a headliner in people’s minds. I know I have specific companies that I want to warn people about and I’m sure there are hundreds more.

Just remember that you should always take some time to think things through because fear works faster than reason but stay kind! 😘🤗