Everyone knows that the Christmas season is the season for giving — and unfortunately, that includes scammers.
These people prey on big-hearted people and try and take advantage of their generosity. It’s a shame, because the people that they target are only trying to help.
Like one grandpa from Cincinnati, Ohio. He was ready to shell out more than $2,000 to a total stranger. But luckily, a guardian angel stepped in and stopped him just in time.
Cecil Rodgers was getting ready to spend Christmas with his family when he got a phone call.
The man on the other end claimed to be his eldest grandson.
“A voice comes on and says, ‘Papaw, this is your oldest grandson. I’m in trouble,'” Cecil told WCPO News.
Cecil’s “grandson” went on to say he had been in a car accident.
“He said, ‘I hit a woman’s car and she was seven months pregnant. And they charged me with drunken driving and I’m in jail,'” Cecil continued.
Then, Cecil’s “grandson” handed the phone to a “lawyer.”
The man said he was trying to get Cecil’s “grandson” out of jail. But he couldn’t do it unless he got bail money as soon as possible. He told Cecil to get $2,300 and go to his local Walmart. From there Cecil could transfer the money to another Walmart near where his “grandson” was in jail.
Of course, Cecil wanted to help his grandson and did as he was told. He went straight to an ATM and then headed to a Walmart to make the transfer.
But luckily, there was a guardian angel waiting for him there.
When Walmart cashier Audrella Taylor heard Cecil’s story, she was suspicious.
“He said something about somebody was locked up in jail, he got a call, and he needed to send $2,000,” she said.
Audrella has worked at Walmart for five years and she knows a scam when she sees one — and she wouldn’t allow Cecil to transer the money.
“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 continued.
Audrella told Cecil to go home and call his children and grandchildren and find out if there had really been a car accident.
And of course, it turned out that there wasn’t one.
So why didn’t Cecil talk to anyone in his family first? The scammers had told him not to tell a soul about the transfer. Not his family and not the tellers.
Watch a news report of this story here:
[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UGzDm6SuvQ” /]
Cecil was very thankful to Audrella for refusing to transfer his money and alerting him to the scam. The money is a lot to Cecil and he couldn’t really afford to part with it.
Luckily, Audrella was there to save Cecil from losing his hard earned cash. Now we share this story so that you and your loved ones don’t hear about it too late!
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