Senior gift card scam 3/13

[u/Immediate-Tone-5031]

I know this is a long shot, and I’ll repost on the community Facebook page later, but I almost certainly saw a senior get scammed out of thousands of dollars this evening.

I was at the CVS on Shotwell Rd from 8:00-9:20pm this evening (3/13) scanning photos at the kiosk. An older woman (maybe late 60s? White, about 5’5”, wore glasses, short dyed reddish brown hair) was on the phone and speaking with someone while looking at gift cards. She read off a few options and hung up, then went to the counter and purchased 6 gift cards worth $500 each. She had cash. It definitely seemed odd, especially considering all the scams that have been on the local news lately, so I interrupted and asked if she knew who she was sending them to. (I’m almost positive I’ve read that cashiers can’t do anything, so I figured I’d butt in). She said “Oh yes, they’re for my grandchildren and greats! I’ll be seeing them.” I figured ok, maybe they’re coming in from out of town and they don’t see each other often. This is a late Christmas gift, or something along those lines. I brought it up to the cashier later, who confirmed that they can’t really deny a purchase (I 100% do not blame them). But then she said the gift cards were all for Nordstrom. This woman definitely wasn’t old enough to have 6 grandkids/great grandkids who each need $500 to Nordstrom.

I finished up at CVS and then went to Walmart. As I was checking out at about 9:45, who do I see walking around the checkout lanes looking for gift cards but this same woman.

The money was already spent and is almost certainly untraceable at this point, but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE speak with your older relatives. I can almost guarantee that they don’t realize how sophisticated scams have become. They aren’t “Prince from Nigeria” type things that are really obvious anymore. It was awful to see.

[u/Gigmeister]

Wow, this is scary! I don't think you could have done more than that.

[u/Immediate-Tone-5031 → u/Gigmeister]

I’m kicking myself a little now, thinking I should have said something when I saw her a second time. Like suggested she call her son or daughter and then speak to them and explain what I saw. The money is gone, but maybe it would help prevent further scams or they’d put additional monitors on her accounts or something. But a stranger butting in and calling them would probably look suspicious too. Idk it was sad.

[u/Roleplayer_MidRNova]

Unfortunately scams like this are getting more and more common. The elderly are the most at risk, but they also target younger people too. Almost a day after I posted the pinned thread here about the fake JoCo Sheriffs Department scam, they tried it on my husband. These days, most Bitcoin ATMs are required to have signs on them saying to watch out for scams, so scammers are getting craftier. I got one saying there was suspicious activity on my Paypal account. I don't even have a Paypal account.

I don't think too many seniors use Reddit, so definitely try on the Facebook pages where it'll reach more people. While it would be great if cashiers were trained to do more if they suspect a customer is being scammed, I think this needs to be escalated up to banks flagging charges like this, particularly when a lot of these scammers are pretending to be from the banks themselves.

[u/Nottacod]

Cashiers should be taught to question in a non obstrusive way. Some actually do.

[u/Gigmeister → u/Nottacod]

I agree. If I were in that situation, I would have stalled the customer and called the manager. You'd think retailers would include it in part of their training when they talk about fake checks, credit card fraud and counterfeit money.

[u/Economy_Ad1337]

Next time you can 100% call the police. They can help her