PAINESVILLE, Ohio (WOIO) – The Better Business Bureau is warning people about business scams in Northeast Ohio, including one that left a Smoothie King on Mentor Avenue missing $492.
“They're pretending to be the CEO or someone else in your business and asking for funds,” Director of Operations Erica Dilworth said in an interview with 19 News on Tuesday.
In a statement, the department said it received a complaint last week from a Smoothie King in Painesville where a scammer had called the staff line, posing as a police officer and tricking a young employee into sending them a $492 gift card.
“They said the owner was in court and they needed to send money,” Dilworth said.
The owner realized the situation less than 30 minutes later and tried to cancel the transaction, but the funds had already been redeemed. In a statement, the BBB explained that a similar incident occurred in North Ridgeville due to an email scam.
“Funds are tight for everyone,” Dilworth said. “Especially small businesses that are just trying to survive from day to day.”
No one from the Smoothie King store on Mentor Avenue was available for an interview today, but they were told they were still receiving phone calls. Scammers often claim to be someone completely different.
“These scammers are smart, so it can be difficult to train all your staff for every possible scenario,” Dilworth said.
She explains that the best way to protect yourself and your business is to always double and triple check any communication — or whoever it may be.”
Whether it's by phone, text, email, or other means of contact, these business scammers aren't going away any time soon.
They're looking at all the ways they can get in there and take advantage of people,” Dilworth said.
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