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Jewel Workers Stop Woman From Being Victim Of Money Scam

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Police in Tinley Park say employees at a Jewel grocery store kept an 81-year-old woman from being scammed out of more than $2,000.

Money Scam Thwarted

"You know, you hear [about] elderly people being taken advantage of. And that's exactly what I thought was happening," said Erin Schillaci, the assistant store director of the Jewel on Harlem Avenue.

And she says she and another employee thought something was wrong when an 81-year-old woman walked in on Saturday.

"The woman came in and wanted to transfer money to Mexico for her grandson, at which point we questioned it because she said he didn't want his mom to know.

"So we actually talked her into calling her daughter, at which point we found out it wasn't for the grandson. Then we called police."

In fact, the real grandson was not in Mexico and the caller was a man simply trying to scam the woman.

The day before, police say the woman had wired more than $1,700 to a scammer.

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