full image - Repost: Do I (32 F) Reveal to My Friends (28-40 F) That My Cousin (32F) is a Con Artist? (from Reddit.com, Do I (32 F) Reveal to My Friends (28-40 F) That My Cousin (32F) is a Con Artist?)
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My (32 F) cousin (32 F) is a con artist. From 2022-2024, she'd crash my parties dressed up to the nines, sporting a foreign accent, and pretending to be from this city's upper echelon. Her reasoning? She'd never had a career, found herself suddenly poor, and needed to network + find a wealth partner ASAP. We grew up together, on and off, and I knew the full backstory. But my community didnt. So, they flocked to her, feeling blessed that this "socialite" was nice to them. I felt like she was preying on them. Because, often, they ended up serving her in one way or another. Do I reveal her for what she is? Do I just swallow this and keep my head down?I think my rage comes from two things: A) our backstory and B) that she tried this crap with me. Her parents were very wealthy. Mine were not but were in the arts. Her parents were my family's patrons. Growing up, I knew I'd have to support myself. So I worked like a dog, starting first in a state school and ending in the Ivy's. I didnt have time to mess around. My parents were getting older, I needed to support them, too. And I did. Meanwhile, my cousin graduated college and spent the next decade shacked up on the fringes of the city, smoking pot and working odd jobs in restaurants. Honestly, for that decade, I didnt judge. It's her business. But when our parents died, everything changed. She thought she'd be an heiress. Instead, her mother left her no money. Meanwhile my father, poor but frugal, surprised me with a small inheritance. Cousin started whinging "I never would've guessed you'd be the one with money in the end" and "some of that should be mine." Ironically, I never spent mine. It came in the form of art, which I donated to community college's museum.For years, I've seen her pull this crap. She"graces" people of little means with her presence. Suddenly, they are cleaning her house, pouring her wine, etc etc. By 2023, she started with me. I am a writer and musician. She said I needed to help her become one, too. I needed to loan her my house, co-host parties, and let her charge an entry fee. I said no more and the trantrums started. Texts the length of a Bible, audio messages, etc. I blocked her. I've taken advice to continue that. But what of my friends? My community? People keep asking me when they'll see her again. They call her an "icon" or say, "you can tell she's really upper class," or, "I cant believe she was nice to someone like me," etc, etc. I want to say, "she lives off her inflated her rent (so she can charge her subletters extra), she sneaks into private clubs, and, above all, protect yourself." Already, she's hustled friends for free gym memberships, connections to agents with a fake book, etc, etc. I feel like Im helping to support a lie. And I think its wrong that she's preying on these people.
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