Published: May. 21, 2024 at 7:17 PM EDTPAINESVILLE, Ohio -
The Bureau explained in a statement they received a complaint from the Smoothie King in Painesville last week. The scammer called the staff line and faked to be a police officer, fooling a younger employee into sending $492 in gift cards.The owner caught wind of what was happening less than half an hour later and tried to cancel the transaction, but the funds had already been redeemed. The BBB explained in their statement a similar incident happened in North Ridgeville through an email scam.
No one from the Smoothie King location on Mentor Avenue was available for an interview today, but were informed that the calls continue to arrive; the scammers often claim to be different people altogether. She explains the best way to protect yourself and your business is to always double and triple check communications: “You can’t just respond to that form of communication, you got to stop, you got to redirect, and then reach out to your boss or whomever it is.”