Ran into a situation at my local pharmacy today. An elderly lady in front of me at the cashier, 70-ish perhaps, purchased 3 gift cards, cash, $250 each, to a sporting goods chain which which doesn't even have a local store.
She then tried to put $500 in cash on a prepaid debit card. The manager was called to the front, and wouldn't let her. "Against store policy" was the manager's response. I really wanted to say something. This is a typical fraud on seniors. Maybe I should have spoken up?
@SSNBubblehead - Brother, I think you should have found a gentle way (I know, bubbleheads don't do gentle) to let her know. Not sure exactly how I'd approach, people get prickly for the oddest things.
@Bubblehead Yeah, this was a "think on my feet" situation, which I clearly didn't do. I'm telling this story so others might learn from it, think in advance of a similar situation, and have a response. That said, I'm still a bit gobsmacked store personnel weren't trained to question or say anything, because as someone pointed out, this is one of the most common types of fraud on seniors these days.
@Bubblehead Already decided I'm going to do just that tomorrow. Not on the phone. I'm taking a drive over there to make sure I'm speaking with the same manager that came to the cashier station. It should have been flagged immediately.
Perfect, Brother - let me know how it goes.
@SSNBubblehead
That type of fraud is always in the news, and it surprises me that more retailers haven't trained their managers and staff to recognize possible senior fraud. At this point, it should become a mandatory training from a companies HR department.
Perhaps find a way to speak with the manager about it, so that it's not repeated?