An observant employee at Walmart saved a St. Thomas senior from being scammed out of hundreds of dollars.
The elderly woman had recently received a call from a man identifying himself as a United States police officer, who said she was wanted on a warrant. The man told the woman it would cost $350 to "correct the warrant" and requested the payment in Google Play cards, according to St. Thomas police.
The senior bought the gift cards, providing the serial numbers from the back of the cards to the fake police officer. He then told the woman it would take an additional $200 to finalize the correction.
When the woman went to Walmart to buy the gift cards on Wednesday, an employee questioned the purchase and informed the woman the caller was likely a scammer. The employee advised the woman not to buy the gift cards and to call the police.
"Although the victim is still out the original $350 we are so grateful to the Walmart employee who became suspicious and went the extra mile to help a fellow citizen," St. Thomas police said in a post to social media. "We don't know your name, but you are our hero."