I work as a community manager in a senior home. My agency and the housing building pushed this 92 year old woman off on me. She had past history of accusations etc. However she had grown over the 2 years attached to me. I took her shopping, helped her move and so much more. I care about her a lot. She has no family or friends left. Anyways, she opened two credit cards with me listed as an authorized user with the ok to use if I paid back. I hesitated but she ensure it was fine. I made a few purchases for personal reasons but most was for her. Now my company stepped in because I moved her without telling them and I was told I had to let her know I could no longer visit her. The next two days I got a phone call saying she accused me of using her cards without permission. My heart sank because I have no proof. I have small children and would never do that. I made the first payments on due date and will pay it faithfully.. what do I do now? I never told my company. The max spent between her and I were 2,000 bucks. Will o go to jail? I'm so scared.
If everything was on the up & up, then why would you keep it a secret from your employer? Did you keep it a secret because deep inside, you knew what you were doing was wrong? Why would you move her without telling them?
Fraud, maybe. Identity theft, more likely. That's a major crime & you can forget about working with the senior population---or any job where you would have access to people's cash, credit cards or social security numbers. You're going to have a tough job trying to convince the D.A. that she applied for those credit cards & not you, especially if it was done online. If this woman shows that she has no knowledge about using a computer & couldn't possibly have applied for a credit card online, you've got yourself one big fat problem. She would have had to know your social security number----how would she have known that?
This doesn't sound like it is going to turn out well at all.
I cannot put my name as a user on my husband's credit card without his consent. To do that, he has to request it and then give them my Social Security number. IF as you say, she opened 2 cards with you listed as an authorized user, she had to ask you for information. That was your first mistake. WHY would she suggest such a thing? WHY would you accept? You had to know that was not ok. And then to use it if you paid it back? Wrong, wrong, wrong! You could and should have said NO thank you. It does not seem like you hesitated at all.
IF what you say is true, then you have very poor judgement and from the way you write, it seems like English may be your second language. Maybe...you did not completely understand the situation, but it does not excuse what you did.
Another thing that bothers me is you "made a few purchases for personal reasons". $2000.00 is a lot of "personal reasons" purchases especially when using someone else's money.
You say you moved her without telling anyone. Moved her where from where? What right did you have to move her at all? I don't think that would be in your job description.
The whole thing smells fishy and your justification of how things happened and blaming the 92 year old woman just seems unacceptable.
I was in banking for several years and saw financial abuse of elders and even reported some. I was not usually wrong. I agree with many of the above, you need a lawyer. You should definitely make restitution ASAP with money you obtained legally. I also do not think you should be working in a field where you have access to anyone's personal information.
I don't mean to sound harsh, but when you do something that is wrong, there are consequences. Hopefully for the sake of your children they will not be too harsh and that you will have learned a valuable lesson.
YOU are what everyone is afraid of -- a thief who, in her own mind, rationalizes that she intends to do the right thing and instead? Does everything wrong. You knew you crossed the line and, even here, anonymous, you cannot tell the truth.
Tell your attorney the truth. Hopefully, HOPEFULLY, he can get the charges dropped to misdemeanor status rather than a felony so you don't have a felony police record for the rest of your life. If you're charged with a felony, you're out of the care giving business. Probably are anyway.
Your best hope is to pray that the DA's office doesn't want to make an example out of you and over-charge you. I doubt you'll go to jail.
Borrow from family and friends and pay the credit card company back for ANY charges for which YOU don't have receipts to prove they were purchases made for your client -- as soon as possible.
You aren't the first person to do this to an elderly client. Make up your mind and accept that you made a terrible mistake. Try to make restitution. In the future, listen to your conscience. You knew what you were doing was wrong. You didn't care. You care now, why? Because you got caught.
very much so, in the elder care field. One has to be aware of the loss of ability, as well as reasoning with so many elerly people. Family steal, as well as
facilities. I can understand that you both had a good relashionship, yet, having
cared for my mom honestly for 8 years, she still has so many issues, fears and confusions. Having said this they are at a high risk of being taken advantage of.
???? How could they have pushed her on you?, was this agreed upon your hirering?, you are in a mgt position, knowing, in this field, many elders do not have other family, do you not have social workers to help them attain other sources or needs???.
The ONE MAJOR RULL IS " NO GIFTS, NO FINANCIAL HELP, AS WELL AS
COMMEN SENSE". Look at your work contract and make sure you signed it, understanding the regulations. If?, you did not sign those you may be safe. Yet,
to all those reading this KNOW WHAT IS OK, & AND WHAT IS NOT.
Good Luck,Be Carefull!!!
Having been an ( outsider 0, in thos field, I am confused? why did you think seh was OK, and that this was OK?.
I don't know if you should be on the Ten Most Wanted List but it doesn't sound like you exercised good judgement. A 90-something woman has no business opening up lines of credit and being in the business that you're in you should have known better than to shackle yourself financially to an elderly person who isn't family. At the very best you were unprofessional, at the very worst, a criminal.
Stay away and do not contact the old lady. That is another way to avoid the wrath of the Judge. You made mistakes. Pay it back tomorrow. I can't tell you how important that is!!!!
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