As more and more scams continue to be played out on our neighbors we all need to be more aware of what is happening. Especially in the stores. Recently our Safeway Clerk foiled a scam by advising a customer not to give the PIN information to caller on the cell phone as she recognized the customer was in the midst of being scammed.
Here is another wonderful example of a good neighbor helping to foil another scam, along with the 7-11 Clerk who also needs to be acknowledged! Thank you, thank you, thank you – for bringing out the best in our city!
Please remember to continue to look out for each other, there really are more good guys than bad!
From our good neighbor Keri Stark:
I wanted to share something and make sure it gets out there. I was just at 7-11 (by McDonalds) and the guy next to me was buying a phone card or trying to load it, with $500. He was on his cell phone taking direction from someone.
The clerk said, “Sir, are you sure you know the person on the phone?” and the man said, “Yes, he says there is a warrant for my arrest.”
I looked at the clerk and we were both alarmed and immediately told the man it was a scam. This (older) man was all shaken and worried and didn’t even hear us. We said it a few more times, “Just hang up, don’t listen etc”
He was saying things like “I have an 86 year old mother at home, I have to be there, I can’t go to jail” I could literally hear the person on the phone telling him “If people hear you they will call the police and you’ll be arrested before we can ‘clear the warrant’.”
I blurted out what I heard and all the clerks joined us in telling him it was a scam and no officials would contact you by phone about missing jury duty. He was in near tears and kept trying to pay the $500.
So I called the cops on the non-emergency line. The female dispatcher on phone told me it was a scam and I started relaying the info to the man, I gave him to phone so he could talk to PD himself. Finally the dispatcher convinced him not to do it. Police Officer also came in person to finish talking to him; they were there within 5-10 minutes, just as I was leaving.
DAMN thieves almost had him! We all have to have our eyes and ears open, and thankfully that first clerk questioned it, which alerted me and I had heard about it here on ESC, so I was aware enough to help!