Gilbert police officer helps elderly woman who was scammed

PHOENIX — A Gilbert police officer went above the call of duty to help an elderly woman who was a victim of a scam.

The woman from Illinois flew to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport to meet someone she thought she was going to marry. But when she arrived, no one picked her up.

“It turns out that these suspects had been scamming her approximately a year while she was back in Illinois,” said Gilbert police officer Adam Walicke.

Walicke was called to check on her after she had been sitting inside a Subway near Power and Ray roads for about 24 hours.

After she landed, the suspects convinced her to purchase gift cards at a nearby Walmart. She was told they needed money to pick her up.

“She did that, and she spent her last remaining dollars,” Walicke said. “At that point she had no more money. She had no means out here. She’s not from Arizona. She doesn’t have family out here, so she was essentially homeless.”

Walicke thought about taking her to a homeless shelter. But he said, “That just did not sit well with me.”

So he drove her to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and bought her a plane ticket back home where her son was waiting to pick her up.

Walicke said this serves as a reminder to watch for scams.

“If somebody is asking you to do something through text messages or email, ask yourself if it sounds reasonable or normal,” he said. “If the answer is no, then you really need to take a second look. Maybe pass the information to someone that you trust.”

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