Marion police warn public of scam targeting senior citizens

MARION, Ill. (KBSI) – Marion police are investigating after receiving multiple reports of a scam that appears to be targeting senior citizens over the past two weeks.

Reports indicate that one to two males, possibly of the Middle Eastern or Arabic descent, will watch people as they checkout from a “self-check-out” station at larger retail stores.

They will watch as people enter their PIN into the station, then distract them by getting the shoppers attention and telling them they dropped a $20 bill on the floor.

When the shopper diverts his/her attention to the floor to look for the $20, the suspect will take the debit/credit card out of the station and quickly leave the area.

On one occasion, the suspect followed the shopper out to his/her vehicle and tried to use the “money on the ground” ploy.

Even though the suspects appear to be of Middle Eastern descent, police say they are fluent in the English and Russian languages.

Police urge people to be aware of their surroundings and try to cover the pad on the station when entering PIN numbers.

Those who happen to find themselves in this situation are urged to call the Marion Police Department at 618-993-2124.