LEBANON, Pa. — Cornwall Borough Police say a quick-thinking Walmart employee helped an elderly resident avoid becoming the victim of a phone scam last week.
The woman, a 79-year-old Cornwall resident, reported to police that she received several calls from a male suspect claiming to be a Comcast representative. The caller allegedly kept her on the phone for several hours, obtained personal information and accessed her computer remotely, claiming he needed to do so to correct "problems."
The caller then told the woman to got to a Western Union location to wire him $2,250 as a fee for the "repairs" he performed, police say.
When the woman told the caller she didn't know how to transfer money, he allegedly advised her to go to Walmart, purchase four $500 gift cards and one $200 gift card, and contact him to provide the redemption numbers on the cards, police say.
The caller said he would deduct $50 from his "fee" to cover the gas the woman would use in traveling to Walmart, the victim told police.
Police say the woman went to the Lebanon Walmart to buy the cards. An employee at the store questioned her about the purchases, concerned she might be the victim of a scam.
At that point, police say, the employee returned the woman's money and advised her to call police, which she did.
The employee's actions prevented the woman from losing $2,200, police say.
