One would think you’d easily be able to detect a scam, but that’s not always the case. It’s very important to have others looking out for signs as well, especially since some of them can be very tricky.
A lot of scammers prey on the elderly because they are so vulnerable and often aren’t aware of scams. That is exactly what happened to loving grandfather Cecil Rodgers.
Cecil received a phone call from a man claiming to be his grandson.
He said he was in a horrible car wreck and needed some help. Another man got on the phone claiming to be an attorney and he demanded that Cecil send a large sum of money if he wanted to help his grandson.
Cecil hurried to his bank and then to his local Walmart to send the money as fast as he could. He didn’t even take the time to question the phone call and simply wanted to help his grandson out as fast as possible.
The grandpa had planned on sending $2,300 to the man claiming to be the attorney.
He got in Audrella Taylor’s line, though, and she decided she wasn’t going to let him send the money. She casually asked Cecil why he was wiring so much money, and when she learned the reason, she instantly realized he was being scammed.
Audrella has worked at Walmart for the last five years and has seen a lot of things during that time. She knew Cecil was about to make a mistake and didn’t want him to lose that much money.
She decided to take action to help the elderly man.
She told WCPO 9:
“He said something about somebody was locked up in jail. He got a call, and he needed to send $2,000. I said, ‘I am going to refuse the sender. I’m not going to let you send that money. I think you are being scammed.’”
Audrella asked Cecil if any other family members had been contacted by his grandson or the attorney, and Cecil admitted that they had not.
Even his daughter, who is the mother of the grandson, didn’t know about the accident and wasn’t asked for any money. This was another red flag to Audrella, who assumed that in the event of an accident, the boy’s mother would have been contacted first.
Cecil was a little confused by her actions and was only worried about helping his grandson.
He didn’t understand why someone would try to take his money like that. He had never even stopped to consider that it wasn’t his grandson on the line.
In fact, the attorney had directed him not to tell anyone about the phone call and warned that if he did, his grandson would be in even more trouble. This is why he hadn’t asked any of his other family members about it. Once Audrella brought all these strange facts to his attention, he realized that it didn’t add up.
Audrella’s manager commended her for her quick thinking.
Had she not stepped in and helped Cecil, he would have lost that money and there would have been no way to get it back. The manager said he is very proud of her. Cecil and his family are also very grateful for her help. The money he was planning to send was his Christmas shopping money.
Had he gone through with the money transfer, he may not have been able to buy gifts for his family that year.
Because Audrella recognized the signs and wasn’t afraid to say something, the family instead was able to have a great holiday. And it’s a blessing too that Cecil’s grandson was actually safe and not in trouble.
More people should know about these terrible scams. Be sure to watch the video below to see more on this story!
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