Raise Up: The Hutchinsons Journey of Hope and Help

  
For more of my story visit the CBS Mornings Link: https://www.cbsnews.com/video/woman-loses-390000-of-inheritance-in-crypto-romance-scam/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1h

Hi, my name’s Niki and I’m looking for assistance in keeping a vow I made to myself in taking care of my 94-yr-old grandmother and 66-yr-old dad. It’s one of the hardest things to admit that I made a mistake that has caused financial stresses on my family and me.

 

In my last semester of college, in 2020, I lost my mother due to organ failure. Within that time, the early stages of COVID hit and I was thousands of miles away from my home. Going to school in CA at the time, losing my mother, not knowing what to do during uncertain times, trouble with going back home due to flight cancellations, and trying to push through my last senior semester to become the first person in my family to graduate with a degree brought on extreme pressure and anxiety. Eventually, after finishing the semester, I was able to move back to TN to take care of my mom's affairs and to take care of my grandmother--my mother's mother. Being only 22 at the time and not knowing what to do or how to mourn over the loss of a parent, I was grateful for my dad for being there for me, even though my parents had been divorced for several years.

 

Moving back to the house you grew up in, where it feels strange to not see someone who lived there and watch you grow up to the young adult you are now was super strange and surreal. There was an immense amount of pressure to make the right decisions on navigating through situations like taking care of my mom’s wishes, legal documents, and taking care of my mother’s house. The house was way too big for my dad and me, and my grandmother had to eventually be moved into independent living due to more on-sight care. So we had the opportunity to sell our house ad the end of October since it was too big of upkeep for us to a loving family that would appreciate it as I did when I was growing up. We considered keeping it but were struggling to make payments on the house and we're wanting to create a fresh start for ourselves. For my dad to retire comfortably from working a physical job and for me to move forward and start my life and become debt-free. That said, my dad was able to retire and I had planned on moving back out to CA to build my career. In addition, I wanted the funds to help pay for my grandmother's nursing home which we did for those few months.

 

 

From an early age, I've always been trying to take care of people. I had to grow up fast due to my mother's alcoholism. I had to take care of her when she re-lapsed, comfort her through seizures, and watch the mother I love disappear before my eyes every day since I was 12-yrs old. Once my parents divorced, I knew I needed to take on the role of caretaker because my grandmother was getting older and my mom couldn't take care of herself or me. I was lucky to have a grandmother who lived with us, so I was able to see her every day and at some point, the lines blurred between a grandmother and mother. She was the only solid rock that always comforted me during those hardships. However, the older I got the more I wanted to take on that role for her, being the provider in helping and making sure she was taken care of when my mother couldn't. I made a vow to myself that I would work hard, get good grades, graduate college, support my family and make them proud.

 

That said, when selling my childhood home, I was gifted with a launchpad for my life and my family’s. However, it wasn’t supposed to happen like this. I never wanted my mother to pass away. I never wanted my dad or grandmother to struggle and I never intended to become a victim of a lucrative scam. Everything happened so fast that once I had an actual life saving the next minute it was gone in an instant. Between mid-November to mid-December, my dad and I became victims of “pig slaughtering” which is a relationship-investment scam dealing in cryptocurrency. The scammer conned and manipulated me into thinking with his help he could “teach” me how to invest and make a better life for my family but instead it was all a scheme to get me to transfer money to a fake platform and to take hundreds of thousands of dollars from people with a purpose and a dream. Not only did I lose all my life savings, I helped my retired father invest—thinking I was truly helping him. Honestly, it’s the worst feeling in the world to know that I helped the scammer con, my dad, into him investing his retirement savings. It pains me so much that I caused this for my dad. Within that timeframe, my dad and I didn't have a home but were blessed enough to have paid upfront for a condo in FL for the time being for his RV to get fixed. The scammer even tried to get convince me to get my dad to sell his RV so he could get a better one. Within that time my grandmother was placed in the hospital due to degenerative heart failure. That said, I’m trying my best to keep my family safe and comfortable. I’m wanting to make sure my grandmother can still have the necessary care she deserves. That said, I’m struggling to pay for my grandmother’s assistance and am looking for help to bring some stability to my family. Luckily enough, my dad kept his RV and is fully paid for so we have a roof over our heads, but knowing that I’m the only one with a consistent income coming every week has been a strain. Unfortunately, I’m not making enough to even afford to help pay for my loans on top of other financial expenses to live day.

To learn more about the scam please visit the NYT where I share my experience:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/21/technology/crypto-scammers-new-target-dating-apps.html

 

If you can’t support my cause, I completely understand. It's something I never thought in my life I'd be having to share. However, if you can step in my shoes for a second and see there was no ill intent but a daughter wanting to change the lives of my family then please help support the cause. I’m truly grateful for your time and for you reading my story. I can only hope and pray that you, or a family member, or a friend, never experience this kind of turmoil. Thank you so much for reading and supporting us.