Scams have always been prevalent, but local municipalities are trying to fight back so that residents don’t fall victim to fraud. Recently, a Crestwood business employee and a Crestwood police officer worked together to prevent a resident from losing thousands of dollars to a fraud.
On May 28, an 82-year-old woman was inside Watson Gas Mart at 9666 Watson Road when an employee overheard her phone conversation. She was preparing to send $7,000 through a Bitcoin transaction, believing the person on the other end to be an employee of Apple Support.
An employee at Watson Gas Mart contacted the police, and Crestwood police officer Andrew Gift responded. After determining that the woman was the victim of an ongoing fraud scheme, he intervened and disconnected the woman from the scammer.
“This incident at the Watson Gas Mart is why we are working to educate both residents and businesses about fraud prevention,” said Business Resource Officer Matt Hill in a news release. “The employee recognized the warning signs, contacted police and helped prevent this resident from losing thousands more dollars. Their actions made a real difference.”
This education is coming by way of the Crestwood Police Department’s fraud prevention initiative, which launched in April. The initiative was “in response to a rise in cases impacting residents and local businesses,” according to a news release. The Webster Groves Police Department also joined the initiative in May, forming the Watson Corridor Fraud Prevention Partnership.
According to the Webster Groves Police Department, “Police are being proactive, working with businesses to identify and hopefully prevent scams from occurring. Employees will be on the lookout for customers who are trying to purchase multiple gift cards in high dollar amounts while on the phone.”
The City of Sunset Hills has also been striving to prevent scams from affecting city residents, and particularly seniors, through workshops offered at the Sunset Hills Community Center. For instance, there was a recent two-part workshop on May 11 and 13, which taught fraud prevention tools and best practices. It was a free seminar to help seniors recognize and respond to scams, especially those that use AI and new technology.
