Fraud Prevented by Vigilant Store Employees at Giant Tiger

Numerous press releases have been disseminated regarding people being victims of fraud. Often we receive calls of people who have maxed out their credit cards or drained their accounts to buy gift cards under false pretenses, only to find out later they have been defrauded.

One such occasion was occurring this morning when an unsuspecting individual was buying $2,500 worth of Google Play Cards at the local Giant Tiger store. Fortunately for the potential victim and target of the fraud, the store employee thought that this was a little excessive and assisted the target in recognizing what was truly happening here. The diligent and compassionate work by the team at Giant Tiger should be applauded. Their effort prevented the target from making a big mistake that would not have been reversed. Well done!!

In the previous public service announcement, I talked about the perils of sending someone money who claims that you have won a prize. The lesson to be learned from today’s fraud is that your bank account isn’t like a computer. A computer problem is usually simply fixed by unplugging it and plugging it back in - Presto! Your bank account doesn’t need repairs and it certainly isn’t fixed by unplugging all your money from it and plugging it in somewhere else. Much like so many other things, when someone starts asking you to buy gift cards, get a second opinion!

As these problems continue to become more prevalent, hopefully, more people at the point of purchase recognize what is happening and assist potential targets. Kudos to the team at Giant Tiger!

Staff Sergeant Mike Van Sickle

D Platoon – Community Response Division