When Grandpa Tries to Wire $2,300 to Grandson, Walmart Clerk Immediately Sees Red Flags
Around this time every year, the news is awash with cautionary tales around the dangers of generosity.
No, they aren’t attempting to stop people from donating or helping others, they just share the sad desire of some to prey on the goodness of others.
In particular, there is almost always a story of an elderly man or woman who is taken for a large sum of money in their attempt to “do the right thing.”
Were it not for an alert Walmart cashier, Cecil Rodgers would have been that story this year.
Rodgers was making Christmas plans when his phone rang. On the other end was a man claiming to be Rodgers’ oldest grandson.
The “grandson” said that he was in trouble. There had been a car crash and he was being held in jail. Bail was brought up.
While Rodgers attempted to process all of this, another man’s voice came across the phone. This voice said he was a lawyer and wanted to help get the grandson free.
To do that he needed $2,300. And he needed it that moment.
The “lawyer” gave Rodgers specific instructions that included using the wire transfer services at his local Walmart to send the money to a Walmart in Maryland.
Rodgers didn’t question any of this. He gathered his things and headed to the bank. Before long he was in line at Walmart with the money and instructions.
Fortunately for him, Rodgers got in Audrella Taylor’s line. Audrella sensed a scam immediately.
As she told WFTS, “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.'”
She told Rodgers to go home and call other family members to see if the story he was told could be corroborated.
It turned out that the grandson was in college, right where he was supposed to be. So how did Audrella know? She just listened.
As she explained, “Because his daughter hadn’t been contacted yet, I felt like if a son was in true need, the mom would have been contacted first before the grandpa would.”
Thanks to this observant and caring cashier, Rodgers’ Christmas has been saved and he is aware of this nefarious plot.
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