BEWARE of grocery store SCAM!

Last week I was grocery shopping for Labor Day weekend on Thursday at 5:40 pm. I was at HEB in Pasadena on Fairmont Parkway. Maybe 10 minutes into shopping I was stopped by a man in his mid thirties with no basket. I was in the produce section looking towards a bin of veggies that runs along the wall. He approached me and asked if I could help him pick out a watermelon. The watermelons were behind me and down a ways. I briefly described with annoyance how to pick a watermelon. I never left my phone, purse or cart to go help this man. Sucks for him because that's just what he wanted. This is called a distraction scam and they work in teams. He wanted me to look away so his partner could swoop in fast and grab my wallet from my purse. Or phone.

A few minutes later I was approached by another man in his mid thirties asking me for help with a soup recipe for his sick mother. He tried to shove his list in my face as he read off things that he had in his cart. I kept walking and told him I was in a hurry. AGAIN I did not take my eyes off my things. They try to do anything to get you to look away. DON'T FALL FOR IT.

A few minutes go by and I see watermelon man, without his watermelon, walking around empty handed and looking really sketchy.

A third man tries a similar tactic. Only this time I knew for sure I was being targeted. I had a basket FULL of about $500 worth of groceries. Another man in his mid thirties gets behind me to check out. He has maybe 10 small items. There are several 15 items and under checkouts open. Several self check outs open. He chooses to get behind the person with the most full basket? This part of the scam when all else has failed is to get close enough to you to watch you put your PIN in. If they are successful they will also try to distract you by following you into the parking lot and saying you dropped something. Another attempt to distract you and snag your wallet or phone. Before I was even done unloading my items onto the belt he pushes his basket all the way against mine and starts to put his items up there. At this point I have already alerted the cashier of the two other men. I saw the "soup man" talking to two girls in their early twenties giving them the same story of his sick mom. I asked for the manager to be alerted. I lost my temper on the jerk behind me in line. I loudly told him to BACK OFF. I made sure I was loud enough to get people to look and get eyes on this guy.

I told the manager everything and where in the store this happened to me so he could check the cameras.

This scam is going on all over. They target women AND men. Usually the men are targeting women and the women scammers target men.

I had an employee walk me to my car and help me with my groceries.

Low and behold! 2 of the 3 men walk out. We sat and watched as they got into the same car.

Please share this with your mom, grandmother, daughters, dads, mailman, co-workers or anyone who you love and don't want to be a victim. These thieves are trash humans and think they are slick.