Cashiers are more than just employees who help you checkout your orders – they can also be superheroes who can help you in difficult situations. With the rise of Internet scammers, many people have to be careful when transacting online. Most of the people who fall prey to these scammers are the elderly.
Fraudsters target the elderly since they are more trusting than younger individuals.
They conduct their fraud schemes through the telephone, advertisements, email, or door-to-door. Their tactics depend on the situation, but they are often friendly, professional, and sympathetic towards the elderly. By gaining the trust of the elderly, they are able to convince them to sign a document or send over money.
Hence, fraud schemes can range from insurance to real estate.
In some cases, the fraudster uses fear to get the victim to cooperate. They would tell the victim that they are unable to pay their dues, hence, they need to send the payment. Once the victim sends the payment, they immediately block them.
As much as the authorities track these fraudsters, more people are still being scammed.
One of them was a senior in Ontario.
A senior from Ontario tried to purchase $3,000 worth of Google gift cards from a store. She came in early and quickly went to the Google gift cards aisle. She looked scared and panicky.
Immediately, Cathy Lumia noticed the fearful senior who was purchasing gift cards.
Cathy was working at Shoppers Drug Mart in Uxbridge when she saw the anxious senior picking $3000 worth of Google cards.
“It sounded very fishy an elderly person coming in early to buy $3,000 worth of Google gifts cards,” Lumia said in an interview with CTV News.
Since cashiers are trained to ask questions if something doesn’t seem right, Lumia asked the elderly woman about the purchase.
“I asked her, did they tell you not to speak with anyone about this situation and she said yes that’s correct. ‘I’m not to talk about it with anyone,’” the cashier said.
Lumia responded quickly by calling her manager and they both agreed not to proceed with the transaction. Afterward, Lumia explained to the elderly woman that she was probably almost scammed by people involved in the CRA tax scam.
The woman was shocked, but she was thankful that she was not scammed.
According to Det. Doris Carriere of the Financial Crimes Unit at Durham Regional Police, gift cards are often used by scammers since it’s hard for people to track them.
“The scenario is typical of what we see. There are different ways to get money and the gift card is one we see quite often,” Carriere told CTV News.
As for Lumia, she said that she was happy that she was able to stop the fraudsters from scamming a poor elderly woman.
She was thankful that her instincts kicked in when she saw the purchase, and she also advises other cashiers to ask questions if they spot red flags.
“I feel fantastic because these scammers didn’t get the Google cards and I saved her (the senior) a whole lot of money,” said Lumia.
To avoid a similar situation, help educate elderly people you know to always beware of scammers especially those transacting on the phone.
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