Dear Editor:
I recently witnessed an act of heroism at the Shoppers Drug Mart in Elora.
An elderly woman was in line at the cashier attempting to purchase what appeared to be several thousands of dollars in iTunes gift cards. The two cashiers working the counter realized that the woman was likely being scammed. They attempted to determine why the woman was purchasing such a large dollar value of iTunes gift cards. The woman initially claimed they were for her grandchildren but after digging deeper they realized she had been contacted by someone impersonating an authority organization (I don’t know which one).
They continued to attempt to explain to the woman that it was a scam; however, the elderly woman apparently did not want to admit she had been taken by such a scam. They eventually managed to convince the woman to speak with her bank, rather than purchase the gift cards.
One of the cashiers walked with the woman to her bank (she left in tears) to ensure that the woman didn’t leave and attempt to purchase the gift cards elsewhere. I was talking with the cashier who remained in the store and she explained that this has happened before and that the previous individual left and later purchased approximately $8,000 worth of gift cards in another town.
This event both crushed and restored my faith in humanity, based on the acts of the scammers and the store staff respectively.
I wanted to report this because I truly feel that the cashiers were heroes here. They could have simply just sold the gift cards to the woman, enriching the store owners, but rather they went out of their way, literally, to ensure that this woman was taken care of. These individuals are heroes and should be recognized for what they have done.
Moreover, situations like this are going to continue to happen to the elderly, the newly immigrated, and others not willing to think critically regarding potential threats such as this.
I worked for a cyber security organization, and I can tell you that the only effective solution to these types of attacks is education.
The more we report on this, the better educated our fellow neighbors will become.
Edward Dean,
Elora