The woman named in the “poor mom” Facebook scam has come forward to reveal that she has been hacked by an online stalker who has threatened her with death.
Tymea Cox Ledger, using the name Taskeen Pillay, claimed her husband had recently died, that she was unemployed, that her one child suffered from a rare gastric disease and that she has no family to turn to.
The “mom of three” posted the “heartbreaking” message in the Facebook group MAMAHOOD Cape Town last week, begging strangers for help.
“My twins had a slice of bread each that my five-year old sacrificed for them and he went to bed hungry, I don’t even have porridge for them, no electricity in my Wendy, nothing, all I have for them is black rooibos tea,” she wrote.
But Facebook users smelled a rat when the woman only responded to those requesting her banking details.
The Daily Voice tracked down the real Tymea Cox Ledger, 20, from Bridgetown and she says a stalker has taken over her life on social media and trying to have her killed.
And she believes it is a male who tried to be with her.
“I woke up last week and tried logging into my Facebook account and I could not get in,” she says.
“I then saw someone posting an update on my page and thought it was a joke. It soon became a nightmare when my friends notified me of the post made in my name.
“They started responding to this person and that’s when all hell broke loose.”
Tymea believes her stalker knows her every movement, even what clothes she is wearing.
“I’m afraid to leave my house now as this person is stalking me and my friends and even asked my friend to kill me before I can get ‘my life back’,” she says.
MENACING: Threatening messages received
She and her friends have screen-grabbed multiple conversations.
“My friends cross-questioned him and he answered all the questions correctly,” she says.
“I think it’s a guy because he said: ‘She never wanted me and she chose him (my child’s father) over me, now she is paying for what she did.’
“There have been moments when we are in the house, or at the field and we received messages saying exactly what clothes we are wearing.
“This is now scaring me. I haven’t gone back to work as I have to travel. I haven’t even left the house for a week because I do not know what is awaiting me.
“This person wants to destroy me and the ones closest to me.
“I tried going to the police and all they told me was that they could only offer advice.”
Beverley Davids, Founder of the Chauncy Epic Anti-Bullying Club, says people need to get involved as cyber bullying has become a widespread problem.
“This is so sad. This is happening to many people, being hacked, especially their Facebook accounts, and they have no control over it,” she says.
“The perpetrator is an adult but what example is this setting to children? Police should really get involved before this woman is hurt and another child is without a mother.”