Nanaimo RCMP say alert employees at a local Shoppers Drug Mart prevented an elderly woman from losing thousands of dollars to a scam.
A Nanaimo woman told police she received a phone call from her son telling her to buy $4,000 in gaming cards to get him out of financial trouble.
The woman, who is in her eighties, went to a Shoppers Drug Mart to purchase the cards, but was stopped by employees who sensed it was a scam.
The woman says she was convinced the call wasn’t a hoax because she also received calls from her son’s lawyer and an RCMP officer that told her the same story.
She explained to staff that if they wouldn’t sell her the cards she would go to Walmart to purchase them there.
After she left the Shoppers Drug Mart employees quickly reported the incident to police, telling officers the woman was going to Walmart to buy the cards there.
The police phoned Walmart to let staff know the woman was heading there.
Nanaimo RCMP called the woman and she then understood it was actually a scam, Mounties say.
“These types of scams tug at your heartstrings which is why they are so effective,” said Const. Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP.
You can learn more about frauds and scams by going to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website.
