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.

This was probably peak mawkishness.

I'd be interested to know if his other daughter, Lucy, has benefitted from these monies. We never hear about her since his death.

I think I've read where the other sister has had nothing to do with this scam or her sister.

I couldn't watch him without tearing up as he look and had very similar mannerisms to my dad who had died the summer before lock down. I always had an odd feeling about his daughter but couldn't put me finger on it.

I'd hope he was just a sweet old chap recovering from a hip operation but well never know.

What’s the doc called and where you watching it pls?

I never followed the story. I didn’t think it was a scam as such, but like you didn’t understand what the fuss was about. I think at the time I thought people’s brains had been scrambled by covid lockdowns.

I’ve been through this whole thread and am shocked that no one has said this.

The whole thing was marketing. He was approached to do this. They arranged it, they set it all up, they did all the publicity!! It’s amazing he did it physically but it’s Not so amazing it went so crazy with fundraising. It was all planned activity. How I know this and no one else has written this is baffling to me..

At the time everyone on my team calls would openly talk about this as something to aspire to as a marketing campaign and look at the people we could approach.

I didn’t wash shopping, but it was definitely a thing. I have a friend who used to quarantine her post for 3 or 4 days before opening it.

Exactly this.

I don’t actually believe he was a part of the scam, but his daughter and her husband were (her first thought when he started walking was to do PR). I remember at the time thinking that was a very nice front garden he had, nicer than a lot of the people who were donating had, but lockdown was a weird time, we were looking for something to feel good about and no one knew what was coming. Strange times.

I didn’t donate but I do think his story (shown most days on BBC Breakfast) was the antidote to all of the horror at the time.

His daughter was always very keen to be in shot.

The whole thing reminds me of family fighting over a will but the fella wasn’t dead.

I know the tabloids aren't popular in these parts but does anyone remember the article where he wrote about his first marriage? Specifically about how his parents were upset at the wedding because they thought he was making a mistake and then he claimed that his first wife was neurotic and frigid but at the same time supposedly wanted to have sex with her therapist so they split-his second wife was in the picture when all this was happening according to the article. I'm sure I didn't imagine this piece - it left me cold. I cannot find it again, which I find odd. I remember thinking at the time that it was very convenient that anyone who could counter his narrative was likely long dead.

@Jessforless It's not that I don't believe you, but are you able to say more specifically how you can be sure what you wrote is factual, and not the product of some rumour mill, or speculation on how it could have been done IYSWIM?

He didn’t just start walking 😂 he was asked to do this so they could market it!!

!00% it was.

I worried about takeaway deliveries but I limited it to handwashing after handling.

I mean, we just didn't know, did we?

All this self-congratulatory, smug, back-slapping sticks majorly in my craw. People were genuinely afraid they would die, or that much-loved family members would die, and so many did!! And people are pissing all over that with their "I knew better go me" attitudes!!!

If only there'd been another series of Tiger King, this would never happened.

I don’t know how to prove what I know.. I honestly thought it was common knowledge. It was in my industry.

Everyone I was having high level strategy calls with knew. It wasn’t a secret. And the fact I knew, makes me think many people knew. I’m no one.

I wonder if the people who saw through this also saw through idiotic covid rules and clapping?

Runnerinthenight you are right, I can still remember vividly the terrifying early footage coming out of China, of people being quarantined and devastating early footage from Italian overcrowded hospitals of people gasping for breath. Most people here were very worried.

I mean is it a personality type?

Hannah Ingram-Moore made me uncomfortable from the start.
But then so did all the people out pan-banging on their doorsteps on Thursday nights.

I think people are very quick to jump on bandwaggons without questioning them.

Did anyone appreciate the clapping? I work in the NHS, we all thought it was idiotic.

I suppose I’d rather think the best of him. Now he’s dead he can’t defend himself but she and no doubt other relatives were in on it. Whether they intended it from the start or after the money really started coming in I’m unsure.

Jestforless it wouldn't surprise me at all. I've friends and have friends of friends who are performers and the stories of people being approached to audition for TV talent shows go back years and years.

My neighbour appreciated it. Gave her something to feel self righteous about. (She doesn't work for the NHS, she just felt self righteous about clapping.)

@memoriesofamiga I totally agree. Many of the far right wing lunatics out there are ex forces.

When Brexit referendum was in full flow I saw many Facebook posts by guys 'in uniform' 'posting really xenophobic, jingoistic shit. Ok I didn't agree with their views but it offended me even more their profile pics had them in uniform. They were not trolls either.

I'm not sure about Tom- I think his daughter was definitely on the make, but I can't say whether the book money was intended for health charities or not- however the foreword in the book certainly implied it was!!

I shouldn’t surprise you. It’s true. I really thought writing that would be a ‘we know!’

I’m shocked.