We live in a world where scams abound and groups try to separate us from our money all day long.
You probably get several calls a week about “solar panels” or “extending your car’s warranty.”
Some of these scam artists are so ruthless they are even content with stealing from those with special needs.
Dale Beck, a 28-year-old with Down syndrome from North Carolina, was almost the victim of one of these scams.
Thankfully, her detail-oriented boss stepped in to make sure that it didn’t happen.
Beck had earned her very first paycheck from Howdy Homemade Ice Cream, an ice cream parlor that employs people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
She wanted to share her excitement with her TikTok fans as well as bring awareness to Down syndrome.
“We just wanted to bring awareness to Down syndrome. Really getting it out there, like, did you know they’re human and have love to give?” Kim Beck, Dale’s mother, told FOX 4 News.
So, Beck’s mom made a video with her holding up her paycheck and posted it on TikTok.
That video was viewed more than 4 million times before it was taken down when a thief attempted to steal it.
Someone had read the information on the check and reprinted it onto a fake check and tried to cash it.
But the thief didn’t get away with it because Beck’s boss, franchise owner Peter Brewer, has a Ph.D. in accounting and keeps close tabs on his books.
“I caught it within 24 hours,” Brewer said. “My bank was able to bounce the check. So the check is not being honored.”
There’s no word on what happened to the would-be thief.
Now that Beck has her paycheck she says she wants to use it to buy Christmas and birthday presents for her family.
Brewer says the ordeal helped him to remember why he’s so proud to do what he does.
“In the midst of the day-to-day and the stress of working this business, you wonder, ‘My god, what have we gotten ourselves into?'” franchise owner Pete Brewer told ABC 13 News. “When I watch Dale’s video, it was a full-stop moment when you go, ‘Wait a minute, we’re doing the right thing.'”
Howdy Homemade Ice Cream founder Tom Landis who started the company in Dallas in 2015 said he was thrilled that the franchise owner was able to step in and protect his employee.
Beck’s story ended up going viral and was shared on FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth’s YouTube page where it was viewed more than 680,000 times.
“Imagine being such a shell of a human being that you’re stealing from someone with Down. There’s far too much evil in this world,” wrote one YouTube commenter.
“I love this! An employer who helps people with disadvantages and cares for them, AND sticks up for them and pays them a decent wage! Yet, here we are with regular employers who will fire you if you break your leg and call out of work for such a valid reason,” said another.
Learn more about Beck’s story in the video below!
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