CVS Employee Saves Monroe Man from Being Scammed

An 82-year-old Far Horizon Drive resident, who thought his granddaughter was in trouble, nearly sent a $1,790 wire transfer to con artists in the Dominican Republic to help her. That's before a CVS employee, who was suspicious of the transfer, intervened.

The employee of the 535 Monroe Turnpike store stopped the man from filling out a Western Union form and asked him to call his granddaughter. Police said he did and found that she was safe and sound.

A con artist, who identified himself as Mark Johnson, a public defender in Richmond, Va., had called the victim on Aug. 6 and told him his granddaughter was involved on a car accident and arrested for DUI.

Police said the caller told the man that his granddaughter would not be released until he paid a wire transfer of $1,790. Then a woman claiming to be his granddaughter got on the phone and pleaded with him not to tell her parents, according to the report.

Police said "Johnson" got back on the phone and gave an address in the Dominican Republic for the wire transfer.