Poor Woman Who Helps the Needy Is Swindled Out of Her House, Later Finds $10K in Her Pocket – Story of the Day

A poor woman was left helpless after being scammed out of her own house by people she offered to help. Days later, she finds $10,000 in her pocket with no clue where it came from.

Carissa lived a simple lifestyle because of her desire to help other people. Although she never finished college, she worked hard as an employee and earned a decent salary that allowed her to buy her basic needs and pay off the loan on her small house.

On the weekends, she would volunteer at an elderly shelter near her place. She would head their weekend feeding programs and spend entire days with the residents, exchanging stories with them.

Eventually, Carissa became known around town for being a woman who willingly helped those around her. She would grant the requests of elderly residents, like helping them purchase tickets for their family members who came to visit from other states, buying them their food cravings, and even taking them around town.

One day, a poor couple she had only met a handful of times at their neighborhood community center came running to her for help. "Carissa, please help us!" the woman sobbed.

"What happened to you, Aby?" Carissa replied, concerned. "How can I help?"

The woman revealed she and her husband had no place to live after being evicted from the place they were renting. "We couldn't pay for rent, so our landlord kicked us out. We don't know where to go," she explained.

Without hesitation, Carissa offered to take them in while she helped them look for a new place to stay. This evidently pleased the couple as the wife suddenly stopped crying and her husband looked at her, smiling.

"Thank you, Carissa," Aby gushed. "You're the neighborhood superhero. What would this community do without you?!" she said.

That same day, Aby and her husband Dave waltzed into Carissa's home, taking all of their things with them. Although Carissa gave them a room to sleep in, they took the liberty of using the other spaces around the house for their things, including the kitchen and living room.

Because Carissa was so nice, she didn't comment on their overstepping. She allowed them to do as they pleased and even included the couple in her food preparations every meal time.

After a couple of weeks, Aby and Dave started talking about Dave's new "business." He claimed to have gotten a job with a real estate firm and asked Carissa if she wanted to try out their services.

Carissa asked Dave to tell her more about the new business, to which he revealed that for a low amount of money, he could get Carissa a brand new house downtown, a lot closer to where she worked. Dave handed her a picture of a gorgeous new house, which was a lot more modern than the one Carissa was living in.

At first, Carissa turned the offer down. "I don't really plan on investing in a new property. This house is more than enough for me. It's just me living alone anyway," she told him.

But Dave was persistent. "Wouldn't it be a lot more convenient for you to live near your office and to the shelter where you volunteer every weekend? It would save you money in the long run from all the bus and cab rides you take every day," he suggested.

Carissa tried to refuse again, but Dave had his way with words. He was manipulative, and he could tell that his tactics were working on Carissa.

"What would I have to do to get this new house?" she asked him.

Dave smiled. "It's simple! We just have to sell this house and use the money to buy the new property. I'll have the documents ready for you to sign tomorrow morning, and I'll let them know that we're reserving the new house for you!"

True enough, the following morning, Dave walked into the kitchen where Carissa and Aby were having breakfast. He handed her some documents, which Carissa looked over very briefly.

The documents stated that the house she currently lived in was to be sold for $350,000. It also gave Dave the power to change the owner's names once a deal is made with a buyer.

Though Carissa was having second thoughts about moving to another place, a part of her also wanted a fresh start. So she signed the papers and trusted Dave to inform her once a buyer purchased the house and she could move into her new home.

Carissa left for work and returned home that evening, only to find her belongings packed in boxes outside the house. A large poster that read "SOLD" was placed in the front yard, much to her surprise.

She ran towards the door and tried to enter, but it was locked. She called out for Aby and Dave, but they were nowhere to be found.

Carissa was in tears as she tried all possible ways to get back inside her house. When she couldn't, she sat on one of the boxes and realized that she had just been scammed.

"What did I do to deserve this?" she cried out. "All I ever wanted to do was help other people, and this is what I get in return?"

Carissa waited over an hour, hoping to bump into Aby and Dave. However, no one ever came. Desperate and afraid, she decided to hail a cab to go to the elderly shelter.

The administrator was surprised to see Carissa so late in the evening. Carissa explained her situation and how she was scammed out of her own house.

"I have no place to stay," Carissa admitted. "Is there any way you can spare me a room? I'll work longer hours on weekends and even help out in the kitchen after work every day. I just really need a place to stay," she begged.

It was a no-brainer for the administrator to allow Carissa to stay there. After all, she was well-loved by everyone in the shelter.

Carissa immediately reported the scam to the city hall, and investigators were soon on top of her case. Since she didn't have money for a strong legal team, she had to acquire pro-bono legal services.

While waiting for the court case settlement, Carissa continued to live in the shelter. She lived harmoniously with everyone there while working in her office every day, hoping to earn enough money to bounce back on her feet.

One day, as she was preparing to go to the store to buy supplies for the shelter, she felt something thick inside her jacket pocket. She lifted it up and was shocked to see bundles of cash. "Where did this come from?" she said to herself.

Then one of the elderly residents approached her. He revealed that the shelter residents decided to help Carissa recover from the scam by donating what they could. After a week of collecting, they were able to garner over ten thousand dollars.

"You have always been so kind and selfless to all of us here. We realized it was about time to show you how much we love and appreciate you, too. Thank you for all that you do for us, Carissa," he told her.

Carissa couldn't help but cry upon hearing this. She had started to lose faith in humanity, especially after what had happened. The shelter residents quickly washed away her doubts and reminded her that there were still many people willing to help her.

What can we learn from this story?

• Don't take kind people for granted. Carissa was genuinely nice to everyone she met, but a couple abused this kindness and used it to take advantage of her. It's important not to take kind people for granted because they, too, have their limits. Show them respect and appreciation because they deserve it.
• People will never forget what you've done for them. Carissa thought she'd have to get back on her feet alone after being scammed by Aby and Dave. However, those living and working in the elderly shelter she volunteered in proved to her that they loved her just as much as she loved them. They helped her by providing her some money to jumpstart her savings so she could eventually get herself a nice place to live.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who shelters an elderly lady for a night, only to see the old lady in her boyfriend's house the following day.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.