Niagara police have launched a program to prevent people from being scammed.
The Point of Sale Scam Intervention Program (POSSIP) is aimed at creating awareness and education for retail and financial institution employees about the many scams that are being run on people.
The goal is to have employees recognize when someone is being taken advantage of and stopping them before they spend their money.
In February and March of 2022, the NRP investigated 57 incidents involving the Grandparent Scam.
Collectively, victims paid scammers approximately $150,000 in cash drawn from financial institutions.
Last month the NRP investigated after elderly couple purchased $22,000 in gift cards from three different retailers.
None of the salesclerks questioned the purchases with the victims.
The $22,000 was given to the scammers.
The Point of Sale Scam Intervention Program (POSSIP) is available for download by retailers and banks and they are being encouraged to create an internal policy regarding scam intervention and refusal of sales to protect victims.
BUSINESSES CAN CLICK HERE FOR THE PRESENTATION AND EDUCATIONAL POSTER