Store staff praised for saving woman from gift card con

TWO supermarket employees have been praised for their vigilant and quick-thinking actions in preventing a shopper from falling victim to a scam.

A woman went into Sainsbury’s in Bridgend last week and, thanks to two members of staff, she was prevented from being duped into handing over money.

The scam sees fraudsters contacting victims and tricking them into paying bogus debts and taxes using iTunes gift cards.

A spokesperson for South Wales Police said: “There are many different types of scams out there which pray on vulnerable people. The public – and more specifically those employed in public facing roles – are our eyes and ears, and have an important role to play in safeguarding those who are targeted in this way.

“These individuals have led by example – their vigilance and quick thinking helped prevent this woman from being another victim, and in doing so saved her from the trauma of the experience which always follows.”

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “We’re grateful to our colleagues, Caroll and Lee, who spotted the scam and were able to help.”

It comes after Detective Inspector Dean Taylor last week said: “We are aware that people in Bridgend have been targeted by fraudsters purporting to be from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and we would urge the public to be vigilant.

“This latest scam sees fraudsters contacting victims and tricking them into paying bogus debts and taxes using iTunes gift cards. The perpetrators of this cruel scam prey on some of the most vulnerable members of society, using scare tactics to dupe them out of substantial amounts of money.

“We want people to be aware of this new method of scamming people and I’d ask those working in supermarkets as well as shoppers to be vigilant if anything looks out of place.

“To support this, our Crime Prevention Officers will be visiting supermarkets and a variety of stores to advise staff that if people attempt to buy large quantities of these cards police should be called prior to selling them.” South Wales Police said: HMRC will never use texts to tell you about a tax rebate or penalty or ever ask for payment in this way.

Telephone numbers and text messages can easily be spoofed, and you shouldn’t trust the number you see on your telephone’s display.

If you receive a suspicious cold call, end it immediately.

To report a fraud and receive a police crime reference number, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use the force’s online fraud reporting tool.

To report a crime to police, you can call 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111.