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An 86-year-old Fairfield woman has a Stop & Shop employee to thank for not losing thousands of dollars in a classic grandmother scam. The woman was prepared to send $2,800 to the scammer when Nadia Guarino, a clerk at the Kings Highway supermarket, saw what was going on and called police.
The elderly woman received a call Monday from a man claiming to be her grandson. Filling in the blanks herself, the woman asked, Is this Brandon, revealing her grandsons name to the scammer. Brandon told the woman he had been arrested in Canada and needed bail money wired to Mexico City.
Guarino wanted to confirm for the woman that her grandson was actually in trouble. She placed a call to another family member, who told the grandmother that Brandon was safe at home. She then called the Fairfield Police, who told the victim about the well-known scam.
Fairfield Police have been running clinics for employees at banks and other money-wiring outlets to look out for such problems. They warn residents always to double-check with family members before wiring money to unrecognized callers.
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