The man had already bought one $500 gift card when Theresa Harmon noticed the next warning sign.
Harmon, a Dollar Tree manager in Clearwater, Florida, saw the elderly customer try to buy a second $500 card. The transaction failed. He walked out, came back minutes later, and held out his phone while someone remained on the line, according to FOX 13 Tampa Bay.
Harmon refused to sell him another card. She persuaded him to hang up and refunded the first $500 purchase.
Clearwater police later honored her with the department’s Samaritan Award for stopping what officers described as a $1,000 gift card scam targeting an older customer.
The Customer Came Back With the Phone Still On
Harmon told FOX 13 that the first $500 gift card purchase went through. The second did not.
When the man returned to the register, his phone was still beside him. Harmon could tell someone was on the call.
“He had his phone next to him,” Harmon told FOX 13. “You could tell somebody was on the phone, and he asked for a specific card, and I don’t remember which card it was. And I didn’t have it, and I was like, ‘Wait a minute, something’s wrong here.’”
The Caller Promised a New Truck
When Harmon questioned him, the customer said he was speaking with someone claiming to represent Publishers Clearing House.
The caller had promised to deliver a brand-new truck if the man bought the gift cards, according to FOX 13.
Harmon tried to slow him down at the register.
“As nicely as I could, I said, ‘Do you really think that you’re going to get a brand-new car for $1,000 in gift cards?’” Harmon told FOX 13. “And he said, ‘Well, I’m not going to give him anything unless I get it.’ And I said, ‘Sir, please, let’s don’t do this. Please, let me help you.’”
Harmon Refused the Sale and Reversed the First Card
Harmon refused to sell the second gift card.
She also convinced the customer to hang up and issued a complete refund for the first $500 card, FOX 13 reported.
Clearwater police said the caller had not been identified and investigators had not confirmed where the call originated.
No money was lost in the incident reported by FOX 13.
Police Honored Her for Stopping the Scam
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The Clearwater Police Department recognized Harmon with its Samaritan Award after the intervention.
Detective Dan Marscher told FOX 13 that local authorities handle elder-fraud cases like this often.
“It’s very exciting to hear that a community member stepped in, completely unsolicited, to assist this individual,” Marscher said. “And we encourage that in a lot of these cases.”
Harmon said suspected scams come through her store nearly every day, but not every customer accepts help.
“This is the first one that let me help them,” Harmon told FOX 13. “And I know in my heart that other ones are being scammed, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Gift Cards Were the Warning Sign
The FTC says no real business or government agency will ever tell someone to buy a gift card to pay them.
The FTC also warns that scammers may claim a person won a prize, then demand gift cards for fees or charges before the prize can be delivered.
In a separate warning about Publishers Clearing House impersonators, the FTC says people who get a call about a prize for a contest they never entered should hang up.
Clearwater police urged bank tellers and retail workers to watch for customers who stay on the phone while buying high-value gift cards. FOX 13 reported that victims are often told to keep the call active while standing in store lines.