Stratford, Ont., police are applauding staff at a local grocery store for preventing a senior from falling victim to a possible scam.
Police say officers were called around 11 a.m. Wednesday to a Foodland on Wellington Street in St. Marys.
An 89-year-old woman went to the store to buy gift cards for a stranger over the phone.
The cashier recognized the situation might be a scam, asked the customer several questions and tried to talk her out of making the purchase.
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When the customer insisted on buying the gift cards, police went to the store. The officer and the staff at Foodland were able to convince the customer that the phone call she received was likely a scam.
“The Stratford Police Service would like to extend thanks to the staff at Foodland in St. Marys for recognizing this situation and preventing a fraud from occurring,” police said in a statement.
“Cashiers, as well as other retail employees, can play a powerful and important role in fraud prevention by engaging customers in conversation about their purchase and asking some very simple questions,” the statement continued.
If you believe you’ve been a victim of a fraud, police ask you to contact your local police department or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre to report the incident.
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