A quick-thinking worker at Asda in Glenrothes stopped a pensioner from falling victim to an £800 email scam.
Customer service worker Emma Baillie became suspicious when the elderly customer tried to buy £800 worth of Amazon gift cards from the supermarket.
The man said he had been told he needed the cards to claim a holiday he had won.
But Emma – who had only been working at Asda Glenrothes for four months – spotted the signs of the scam.
‘I just knew straight away something seemed off’
She said: “I’m still quite new at Asda.
“We got checkout training when I joined and part of it taught us about fraudulent transactions and what to look out for to spot scams.
“The gentleman arrived at the checkout with a stack of gift vouchers for Amazon.
“I just knew straight away something seemed off.
“I asked him what he was purchasing them for, whether it was a gift, or did he receive an email.
“That’s when he explained he had been emailed by Amazon to say he’d won a trip for £800.
“He was instructed to purchase the gift vouchers and then send all the codes back to the email to redeem his trip.”
Emma was able to identify the scam and advised him not to go through with the purchase.
She added: “He had his phone there, so I asked if I could see the email and I was able to check the details of the sender.
Man ‘really thankful’ after Asda Glenrothes worker steps in during Amazon card scam
“It became clear that it wasn’t a legitimate email, it wasn’t from Amazon at all.
“I explained to the customer that I was a scam and then advised him not to purchase the gift cards.
“He understood and was really thankful that I warned him before he went through with it.”
Debbie Wilson, Asda Glenrothes community champion, said: “Emma was so great with this older gentleman, guiding him through the situation with such care.
“Emma saved him a small fortune by thinking on her feet and reported the scam to prevent others falling for it.
“She is only new and already she is living and working our values – a really fantastic member of our team.”
Scam advice on the Amazon website says: “Do not provide the details on the back of the gift card (claim code) or links received via email for electronic certificates to someone you do not know or trust.
“Once a claim code or gift card is provided to a fraudster, the funds on the card will likely be spent before you are able to contact law enforcement or Amazon.”
Conversation