Brother has spent £5000 on tiktok

[VictoriaSponge34]

My brother has a learning disability and is vulnerable to exploitation. Today I have found out has spent his savings of £5000 on tiktok all within a month. He has been giving money as gifts to influencers on the app.

I don't have tiktok so not sure how it works, it's something to do with tiktok coins that you can gift to others.

He is now in an overdraft, we don't have a power of attorney for him but will be applying for one.

Does anybody know how we can get this money back and whether the bank would be able to refund the charges. We have his report that shows he suffers from learning disabilities, not sure whether that will be enough for the bank.

Does the bank already know that he has learning disabilities?

@Deathbyathousandcats I don't think they do, I will be going to speak to them tomorrow to explain the situation.

I think you’ll be relying entirely on the goodwill of the bank.

You do have 14 days to request a refund on coins if they are not spent but sounds like he had sent them to other people already.

Contact form for tiktok so maybe worth a try -

https://www.tiktok.com/legal/report/feedback?lang=en

its the part of tiktok I hate as it’s really drives exploitation of vulnerable people and people are essentially begging on there for money and asking for gifts.

I would contact adult social care and request they complete a mental capacity assessment to see if he can makes decision around his financial affairs.

@HurtleTurtle30 unfortunately he has spent all the coins. We have contacted tiktok and waiting for their reply.

Yes my sister has said people are begging for gifts and coins on tiktok and my brother is vulnerable so has been giving all his money away.

@Louisetopaz21 thanks I will be contacting adult social care to see what support they can offer.

I've seen this a lot on there.

Tiktok, unfortunately, don't give a shit. The 'influencers' will be encouraging it too, there are some scummy people on there who prey on the vulnerable.

I would be very tempted to get his phone and block the people he is gifting so they don't pop up. Can you put a block on his Internet for tiktok as well? I know there are ways to block certain words.

Definitely speak to the bank, has he got a social worker or care workers that can help you apply for power over his finances?

A lot of vulnerable people get caught up in it because of the attention the big gifters get, does he have much going on in his life socially? Might be worth looking at things he can do outside of tiktok as well.

You must be worried sick op, I'm so sorry your family is going through this.

If they assess him as lacking mental capacity you can apply for deputyship via court of protection. He will also be entitled to a care act assessment to see if any other support can be put in place but I would recommend he is educated on life skills and social care can make a referral to thr community learning disability team.

Yes my sister has said people are begging for gifts and coins on tiktok and my brother is vulnerable so has been giving all his money away.

It’s a horrible feature, there have been suicides, jojo isn’t the only one. There is a petition.
https://www.change.org/p/protect-vulnerable-people-demand-the-government-passes-jojo-s-law-rip-joanne-o-dwyer

So sorry you're going through this OP. It is disgusting the way these influencers exploit people. I was about to mention the woman posted above who took her own life over the debts she had run up.

The so called "man" that she paid for him to go on holiday showed absolutely no remorse and to this day is still running his box battles which are basically begging and exploiting vulnerable people to make them feel like they are part of the team, it really is disgusting. It's like a cult and because it makes Tiktok so much money I don't see them doing anything about it anytime soon. Some of these creators have earned upwards of 100k in one week from these battles and that is after tiktok take their fee. Not to mention the women neglecting their children on these box battles, there is one on particular who has her disabled son who must be about 2 crying in the background in a baby bouncer hanging off the bed whilst she ignores him to beg in these battles. It all makes me so angry.

I hope you manage to get your brothers money back.