A devastated mother has spoken out about her “incredible” son who tragically ended his life after being scammed out of his hard-earned savings.
Oliver Wright, a 23-year-old lorry driver from Lymn, Warrington, worked tirelessly throughout his teens to build up his savings. But at just 18, he was conned out of £10,000 in just a few short days.
His mother, Jill, described the profound effect the fraud had on Oliver’s mental health, ultimately leading to his death in December 2022, as reported by the Manchester Evening News.
Jill fondly remembered Oliver as “a wonderful boy, full of mischief and laughter.” She shared, “He’d play pranks on us all the time. He once moved the Christmas tree to another room just to wind me up. And if he spotted you out in your car, he’d open your boot and then drive off, leaving you wondering what had just happened!”
Oliver had always loved driving, Jill said. “My husband has his own business, and Oliver used to lend a hand. By the age of 10, he could drive a forklift. He was just 20 years old, maneuvering massive lorries like he was born to do it.”
But despite his passion and dedication to his job, the phone scam shattered him. Jill shared, “He’d worked so hard, taking on loads of little jobs and saving every penny. When he was 18, these scammers convinced him to transfer £100 with promises of a big payout. They ended up taking £10,000 from him in just three days. He was heartbroken – it felt like everything he’d worked for was gone.”
Oliver had hoped to one day start his own trucking business, but losing his savings crushed that dream. To try to cope, he and his stepdad, Simon, attended sessions at Andy’s Man Club, and at first, it seemed like he was recovering.
Jill recalled, “He went a few times, and we thought he was turning a corner.” In fact, just months before the tragedy, the family enjoyed a joyful trip to Morocco together. “He was driving a speedboat like a madman, scaring me half to death, but it was such a fun holiday. We never could have imagined what would happen next,” she said.
The night before he died, Oliver seemed in good spirits. “He was watching the England v Wales game with his girlfriend, laughing and joking, even lifting me up and spinning me around while I was decorating the tree,” Jill recalled.
Oliver passed away in Warrington Hospital’s ICU, according to Cheshire Live. There, Jill was given a small teddy bear that could play a heartbeat recording – a final, comforting keepsake. “Driving home without my son but with that bear on my knee… I don’t know what I’d have done without it. It’s in my bedroom now, and it brings me comfort knowing it’s there,” she said.
The bears, initially donated to hospitals during the Covid pandemic, inspired Jill to create her own charity in Oliver’s name – Oliver Abel’s Wish. So far, she’s provided 400 bears to Warrington Hospital and 100 more to Wigan Hospital’s ICU and baby units. She’s now preparing to deliver 1,000 more in June.
Reflecting on the loss of her son, Jill said, “When something like this happens, you feel completely lost. But watching a program about a little girl with a terminal condition made me realise I had to do something with these bears. Helping others has been my way of coping.”
She added, “Oliver always wanted to help people. He signed up as an organ donor, and he’s saved five lives. To me, he was my boy – but he was also a hero.”
