A woman on TikTok has a message for any keen Marshalls shoppers: “Watch out for scammers.” In a TikTok that’s garnered over 124,000 views, Ani (@Ani.wolde) warned that scammers are still running amok, even in retail stores.
In the video’s description, Ani wrote, “It’s hard times out here and it’s a shame people are trying to be deceitful. And there will be some people out here that will fall for it unfortunately. Literally only gave this woman the time of day to hear her out at first but then wasted her time since she wants to go around trying to waste other people’s time.”
The encounter in the Marshalls hair section
Ani said she was “minding [her] business in the hair section” when a woman asked if she had a moment. The woman then explained that she was a travel nurse.
Things immediately went south when the woman explained her daughter was turning 13. She said her boss had dropped her off at the store and left her without help.
The gratuitous details piled up, creating a situation that Ani described as oddly specific. She asked what the woman needed help with specifically. The woman said she “didn’t need a ride” but did need to borrow money.
The woman said she needed the money to call a cab company to get back to where she was staying. She promised it would be “paid back double.”
Questioning the story
Ani said she “entertained” the Marshalls scammer, telling her to call the cab company. The woman dialed a phone number and appeared to talk with someone in front of her.
Ani asked three separate times what the cab company was called. She wanted to see if anything credible existed. “Nothing was popping up on my Google,” she said.
Ani said the woman had a “fake conversation” on the phone. She asked to speak with the company herself. That’s when the woman started to act passive-aggressively, telling Ani that she was “[looking] down on her situation.”
Ani pointed out that the details didn’t add up. The woman said her boss had dropped her off. Later, she said her boss was in Dubai.
How to recognize scammers
Commenters noted several red flags. Overly long and oddly detailed stories stood out to many.
“Yeah when it’s an overly complex story (travel nurse, boss is away, daughters birthday), it’s automatically a scam to me,” one person said. “I’m kinda like you [though], I just listen for the plot.”
Some said scammers target women who are by themselves.
“I had a lady come up to me asking about [joining] her church and was trying to hand me a card with a QR code for her [church’s] website,” one commenter wrote. “I said no thank you and ignored her. They target women by themselves!”
@ani.wolde Its hard times out here and it’s a shame people are trying to be deceitful and scam people. And there will be some people out here that will fall for it unfortunately. Literally only gave this woman the time of day to hear her out at first but then waste her time since she wants to go around trying to waste other people’s time. #storytime #scamalert #marshallsrun #icantmakethisup #staysafe ♬ original sound – Ani | DR Living??
The Mary Sue has reached out to Marshalls‘ press team via email and Ani via TikTok direct comment.
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