Chick-Fil-A Manager Conned Out Of Cash
CHINO HILLS (CBSLA.com) — I'll take a scam with that chicken sandwich.
Police say Thursday night, a thief tricked a Chick-fil-A manager in Chino Hills out of cash from registers and a safe.
Investigators say someone called the restaurant pretending to be the chief financial officer for the Chick-fil-A corporation. The suspect told the employee that the franchise operator owed them money and was under investigation -- then demanded that all the money be collected from the safe and cash registers.
The employee was then ordered to purchase pre-paid green dot debit cards from a nearby convenience store and asked to provide the serial numbers on the back of those cards.
The franchise operator wouldn't answer questions about how much money was stolen, but released a statement saying:
"We are cooperating fully with the local police department and, because it is an open investigation, we cannot comment further at this time."
Although thieves don't usually target businesses with debit card scams like this, customers say it was bound to happen.
"It's not surprising. You do it enough, you find someone that actually falls for it. It's going to happen. It's just like all the telephone scams that happen with the elderly and so forth. It's tough," said customer Jim Doyle.
That's why many people say you always have to have your guard up -- whether you're at home or work.
"Sometimes I don't even answer my phone -- my landline and cell," said customer Ethel Gardner. "When I see a foreign number, I don't even answer anymore. You don't want it to happen. But realistically, it's happening everywhere. And so you just have to really, really pay attention to what's going on now."
Chino Hills Police are investigating and say anyone who gets a suspicious call like this should contact their manager and law enforcement.