Woman Shares How Her 74-Year-Old Father Was Cheated At A Supermarket In Damansara
The incident happened on Sunday, 9 April.
By Nandini Balakrishnan — 11 Apr 2017, 03:11 PM
An elderly couple was scammed at a supermarket in Damansara on Sunday, 9 April
A Facebook user by the name Norhaliza Mohd Nor posted a status detailing the incident.
She came home on Sunday evening, only to find out that her parents have been cheated of their money.
The post has since garnered more than 10,000 likes and 17,000 shares.
"My parents were scammed by a group of people at Tesco Mutiara Damansara yesterday evening."
"First, they handed over a grocery bag to my parents, saying it's free. Then, they asked my parents to sit down because apparently the people who receive the free bags must write down their names. That's when the lies began," explained Norhaliza.
The sales representatives then showed her parents a set of vacuum cleaner that was on sale. But, they declined saying that they already have a one at home.
One of the salesgirls, allegedly named Bella, then gave Norhaliza's parents a gadget and asked them to press the screen.
Right after the couple pressed on the screens, Bella told them that they had won two things - a vacuum cleaner that is supposed to be RM3,680 and a microwave oven worth RM3,988.
"My dad was given the same gadget and asked to press on the screen again. This time around, my dad got a bonus of RM100, which entitles my dad to get a water dispenser that can be used for free for a period of three months."
"If he's interested to continue using it after the three-month period, then only will he be required to pay RM80 monthly for 48 months," explained Norhaliza.
Bella then asked Norhaliza's father if he owned any credit cards. Her dad took out his wallet, and to Norhaliza's shock, Bella had apparently just reached out and taken the HSBC credit card from the elderly man.
The other unnamed salesgirl then went on to ask the man how long has he owned the credit card for, explaining that if it has been for more than two years, he would be entitled to receive a multi-cooker for free.
"I'm not sure when they (sales representatives) swiped the card. Suddenly, my dad was given a few documents to be signed. Frankly speaking, for a 74-year-old who has never used a credit card to buy things, it didn't register in his mind that the payment has already taken place," said Norhaliza.
She came back home, took a look at all the documents, and realised that her father's credit card has been charged with the amount of RM3,988
Norhaliza taking photos of the documents her dad had signed. The bespectacled lady standing beside her is the other unnamed salesperson.
Image via Facebook/Norhaliza Mohd NorDetermined to fight the injustice, she rushed to the shopping mall with her husband and dad to "fight" for her dad's money to be returned.
"When we got there, we asked them to quickly cancel all transactions and return my dad's money. We sternly told them that they had confused my father and lied to him."
"Bella then called her supervisor to come and speak to us. He looked more like a gangster. We told the supervisor to cancel the transaction and return my dad's money," read Norhaliza's post.
To her dismay, the supervisor refused to do any of it. He claimed that her dad had been aware of everything and understood the terms and conditions and had signed the documents.
The supervisor insisted that they had explained everything to Norhaliza's dad before he signed the documents.
Image via Facebook/Norhaliza Mohd NorNorhaliza continued to explain to the supervisor that her dad had been "misled", as the sales representative did not tell her dad that he had to pay or buy anything but had charged him anyway.
"... and the the shouting match started, to the point that I was shivering with anger. People started gathering around us. My dad was scammed and I would never let people like these just escape with it."
Her husband made a few calls and told her about it. Before they left, Norhaliza turned to Bella and told her, "Wait for the authorities to come".
"She (Bella) just smiled at me, as if they had won and we had lost," said Norhaliza.
Norhaliza said that the supervisor scolded Bella and told her to keep quiet. When Norhaliza attempted to get Bella's full name, the supervisor stepped in and stopped Bella from saying anything.
Image via Facebook/Norhaliza Mohd NorThey went back home and discussed the issue with Norhaliza's siblings and agreed that they must lodge a police report regarding the matter
"We were worried that my parents may face complications because the salespeople have all their details, including their house address. After maghrib prayers, I went over to the Taman Tun Dr Ismail police station with my husband to lodge the report," read the post.
The authorities acted swiftly. Just hours after the report was made, the police arrested the sales representatives that had scammed Norhaliza's parents.
"We were informed this morning (10 April) by the representatives from the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism (KPDNKK) that they went on an undercover mission on the very same evening and arrested the scammers. Alhamdullilah, I felt so relieved!"
"Taking advantage of senior citizens just so that they can lead good lives. Memang pantang tok nenek la kan!!" exclaimed Norhaliza in her Facebook post.
Before ending her post, Norhaliza also revealed another horrible thing that the scammers did. After asking her parents to sign the documents, the salespeople were apparently so happy to the point that they had asked her dad to give them a treat.
"Again, I don't understand how my dad agreed to treat them pulut durian, pulut mangga, and even drinks. Almost RM50 was spent on that treat. Were my parents hypnotised? Wallahu a'lam (Only God knows)," said Norhaliza.
"What's the moral of the story? Do not take anything that is given for free."
"Sorry to all guys who are honest but because of people like these, but I have trouble believing in anyone that hands out things for free. There is no such thing as free gifts. There has to be a "catch" to it. Also, the economy is pretty bad these days," ended Norhaliza's post.