A Bellevue woman was the target of a telemarketing scam, but an alert U.S. postal worker stopped her from being duped out of thousands of dollars.
Sales associate William Reynek has worked at the Bellevue Post Office for two and a half years.
He said on Tuesday an older woman came in with thousands of dollars in cash and wanted to express mail it to the east coast.
“I thought this was odd, and repeatedly asked her do you know the person you are sending to is, and what is it for? She didn't really give me a clear cut answer,” said Reynek.
He said he convinced her to get money orders for the cash so she wasn't sending such a large amount through the mail, but then the lady came back a half our later wanting to change the payee on the checks, and he knew it was a scam, “so I was like red flags going off everywhere.”
Reynek went to work and asked the lady to get the person she was sending the money to on the phone so he could talk to them, “when I was listening it didn't sound like a crisp or clear connection, there was something off.”
Knowing that this woman had just been taken advantage of, he convinced her the people were scammers and to take her money back to the bank.
“We had a line out the door, and I stuck with it, I didn't want to see her be another victim of this crime,” said Reynek.
He said this is the first time he has stopped a scammer and sadly too many of them get away with it.
“My actions were just a drop in the bucket unfortunately, and I mean unfortunately in that way that a lot of people are scammed.”
The U.S. Postal Service has their own website to help with all types of scams. Some of the tips they give are screening your incoming calls, blocking telemarketing calls, opt-out of pre-approved credit offers, and reduce unsolicited marketing calls.
“You just have to be aware of the signs and be aware of that,” said Reynek.
He said he hopes people will pay attention to all the types of scams that are out there, and he is happy he was able to help at least one person not become a victim.
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