Who She Was

 

Susan’s face is marked by severe, extensive scars across her face, the result of an accident in her youth. In the offline world, these scars often drew fearful looks from children and uneasy silence from adults. Yet behind them was a woman known for her kindness. She welcomed new families, helped neighbors in need, and became a trusted, respected presence in our community.

 

 

The Online World

 

For most of her life, there was no internet. Only in her forties did she discover it, and with it, a new kind of freedom. Online, she shared her garden, her cooking, and her travels. Strangers praised her flowers and photos. For the first time in decades, she felt she was seen for who she was, not for the scars she carried.

 

 

Friendship and Trust

 

One follower, who often liked her posts, began writing to her directly. Over time, their conversations grew warm and personal. For Susan, it felt like real friendship. This “friend” eventually spoke of investments that sounded safe, reliable, and already working for others.

 

 

The Trap

 

The website looked professional. It offered accounts, balances, and even detailed profit statements. At first, Susan invested a small amount. When she saw early returns, she believed it fully. Because she was respected in the neighborhood, she invited her neighbors to join. They trusted her as much as she trusted the site. Soon, families invested their savings: some a few thousand, some hundreds of thousands, even over a million.

 

 

Collapse and Despair

 

Then, one day, the site disappeared. The money was gone. The “friend” vanished. Panic swept through the community. Though Susan had no legal guilt, she felt unbearable responsibility. In despair, she even prepared to sell her home to repay her neighbors. What should have been years of peace became years of fear, shame, and regret.

 

 

A Turning Point

 

In her despair, Susan turned to my parents for advice, since they were lawyers she trusted deeply. I was only thirteen, listening quietly from the corner. That day, my view of the internet, and of technology itself, changed forever.

 

Her story is why this hub exists: to give seniors, families, and communities the resources Susan never had.

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This hub was created because, if it had existed earlier, things might have been very different for Susan and our community.