To think many fell for the Captain Tom scam

[Binjob118]

I never understood all the fuss about Captain Tom. A rich old man walked around his garden and was lauded as a hero. Family then go on freebie holiday to Barbados whilst rest of us were locked down for Christmas. Then it turns out he was part of family scam to pay the family from book proceeds. No wonder so many people in this country are targeted by scammers, we are a gullible lot.

Put an old soldier in a news story and everyone's willing to believe he's a selfless hero - regardless of who he is as a person. I've known plenty of military and ex military and they're men like any others - and I'm not a great fan of men as a class so. There you go.

If people were stupid enough to hand over their own hard earned money to a conman doing laps of his garden because he used to be in the army, that's their fault.

Absolutely. It's horrible.

I do think it was her. Hopefully she'll go to prison for fraud. I don't believe he wanted the money for the family. I thought he was a good person. I don't believe he was in on her fraud.

I did think it irresponsible of her to take him to Barbados as it lead to his death.

I did not donate.

@JSMill @Saffrom are all people off limits for discussion and criticism if they are deceased or just ones that we have been led to believe are kindly ?
I'm just wondering if your sentiment extends to Jimmy Saville for example who also raised an incredible amount of money for charity.

It's unfortunate he can't put his side of the story across but I don't think is in bad taste in any way to discuss known facts of fraudulent and dishonest behaviour by his family and organisation that bears his name.
Not everyone that has died is by default a nice or honest person.

I think that this case should set a precedence that family members cannot be involved with a charity that is based around a sole individual

Looking forward to seeing her spa pool pulled down anyway. What an utter disgrace they all are

It was only the other day that I read somewhere that he has another daughter and she chose to stay out of the limelight, whether she too has benefitted is another question altogether. The entire lot though should be seized under proceeds of crime.

He deserves as much consideration as he gave his first wife when he said the things he said about her during an interview.

He was vile and for many it’s that interview that he’ll be remembered for. It said everything there was to say about him.

What did he say about his first wife?

I thought he was rather a strange man myself.

I can remember it. It was very ugly and it’s what I remember him for.

Was he a part of it??

Bore off!

I agree that people should rightly be allowed to discuss this and if there is evidence of wrongdoing it's right to share that. I didn't take much notice if the whole captain Tom thing when it was going on. I never saw any interviews and apart from a few news headlines, have not paid much attention to the whole shebang.

What I object to is the assumption that if you DID get involved/donate/feel empathy for what was at first appearance, an elderly gentleman trying to raise money for charity then you are somehow stupid, gullible, thick, deluded or any other insults a few people on here have thrown around.

People want to believe the best in others, and it doesn't make them something to be derided. Many many people were fooled by Savile. That doesn't make them stupid or thick or gullible - and pushing this narrative actually detracts from the fact that the people doing the duping are the ones we should focus on.

It's the sneering attitudes that feel so unnecessary- you didn't get sucked in? Good for you! Neither did I, but I'm not telling other people how stupid they are for wanting to believe the best in someone.

Will the daughter go to prison or pay all monies back? What's the consequences for her scamming?

Also where did the NHS money actually go?! It was given to NHS charities, but not directly to hospitals, who could have used it to buy equipment. Is that right?! Given to greedy charities, being spent to pay greedy charity bosses.

That the marriage was never consummated, it was sexless and it was the darkest period of his life. She also had OCD.

" I shouldn't have married the girl, but I really did care for her to begin with.
As the years passed, I felt as if I had sunk into a deep hole and couldn't get out. We had little or nothing in common."

• *I'd love to hear her side and what he did to her. There's a daily mail article where all he does is blame her for everything. She wouldn't have sex with him. Didn't like his job when the family business went bust.

We all know it is never just one person that ruins a relationship.

Feel a bit sorry for him, he did raise a lot of money for charity. Yes, we were all in the grip of madness but that’s not his fault. As far as I can see, no one ever said that the proceeds from the book would go to charity. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.

At least we still have the £350 million a week Brexit bonus. Where would the NHS be without it?

I don't feel gullible. I donated £50 when it started out as the money was (we were told) going towards NHS charities - to buy food for staff working long hours etc. I've been a staff nurse and I know from personal experience it can be shit under normal circumstances so in a pandemic it must be 1000 times worse.

As far as I know the money raised at the beginning did go to NHS charities.

However, all the CT fund raising stuff that happened later I lump together with things like 'clap for carers' which I refused to take part in because IMO was absolute bollocks.

@Yekaterinap 😂 Err you did ask… but out of interest, why are you so offended? I didn’t make any moral judgement about those who chose to donate, I simply expressed why I found it uncomfortable.

Jimmy Saville is a dead old man.

I never fell for the 'Captain Tom' crap and I never once clapped for the NHS either, the whole thing was bonkers. I put it down to collective madness due to lockdown.

I don't think you can really say it was a scam from the start. He was only expecting to raise 1k and was probably bored

I think him and his family were just swept away with the hype. And tbh if my elderly dad/grandad was suddenly overnight famous making millions for charity I can't say I would behave perfectly.

The whole thing was uncomfortable at the time and a bit patronising really, great to raise money for charity but did he really need medals and singles?

Excellent post! There was a section of the British public who completely lost their sanity.

Captain Tom and his family make me sick. I've actually decided to never give money to untransparent charities again, because who knows where it's going to. I give to the homeless shelter in my town, because i know they feed them and host a christmas dinner for them.

This the article? CAPTAIN TOM MOORE reveals sexless first marriage and fight to wed the love of his life in new memoir | Daily Mail Online Yes, it isn't a pleasant read. Poor woman, sounds as if she was groomed by her therapist/employer too, but he had little sympathy.

I absolutely agree with you, but I there were those that were equally unpleasant to those that didn’t buy into the emotional schmaltz at the time. I’m sure it started off with the best of intentions but soon became yet another example of ‘feel good’ propaganda and moral grandstanding - along with clapping for the NHS, rainbow posters and those ‘badges’ on SM advertising that ‘I’ve had my Covid vaccination’

The whole thing was suspiciously too sweet to be wholesome to me and when I said this at the time, I was heavily criticised as being uncharitable and not entering into the spirit of the thing.

Yes. A fundraiser for charity is one thing a book is another.

If someone organises a fundraiser it doesn’t mean every penny they earn after that must go to charity unless they specifically said that in the marketing of the book.

If it is proved that the family told the public the proceeds of the book were going to charity then that is wrong.

If you looked at the accounts of some top charities you’d find a lot of funds raised go on the administration and, sadly a lot of chief executives earn humongous salaries.