I fear my brother and sister are being scammed by conspiracy theorists

DEAR DEIDRE: I THINK my brother and sister are turning into conspiracy theorists, and I’m scared for them.

They have even started sending money to weird organisations and getting into credit card debt.

I’m 34, my sister is 30 and my brother is 28.

They were both influenced by anti-vaxxers during the pandemic and started going on alternative news sites.

When I tried to discuss this with them, they told me I was a sheep and I shouldn’t believe the mainstream media.

We had lots of arguments.

Now they’re convinced there’s a shadowy elite running the world, so they need to join a new financial system.

I think they’re being scammed, but they won’t listen to me.

I’m not sure what’s behind this organisation but it seems to be some sort of church based overseas.

They think they’ll be saved when the world falls apart. Some of the things they say are not only illogical, they are downright scary.

They are also trying to convert other members of the family.

How can I make them see sense?

I’m worried they are getting sucked into something that will destroy their lives.

DEIDRE SAYS:  Thanks to the internet, more and more people are falling for dangerous conspiracy theories.

When times are tough, they provide “answers” and “security” that people don’t feel they get from the establishment.

You are wise to be wary, as some of the organisations that spread conspiracy theories are dangerous fronts for extremist organisations or scammers.

Don’t treat your brother and sister like they are stupid or get angry with them. It won’t help.

Read up on what they believe and try to talk to them calmly and rationally about it.

Changing their minds will be a slow and difficult journey. Try to be there for them when things inevitably go wrong.

The BBC website (bbc.co.uk) and the ADL, an American anti-extremist website (adl.org) have excellent information and advice on dealing with people who have fallen for conspiracies.

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