Police are crediting a vigilant store clerk with helping a Nanaimo senior avoid being further victimized by fraudsters who'd already taken him for more than $1,000.
RCMP say an 81-year-old man was defrauded of $1,500 by people claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency, who demanded that he pay a fictitious tax debt over the phone.
The victim was told to purchase i-Tunes gift cards and give the activation numbers to the fraudsters, but they then demanded an additional payment of $3,500.
Police say when the victim went to a local store to buy more cards, a diligent clerk interceded and contacted RCMP, saving the senior from losing even more money.
