I would like to take a moment to first alert the elderly to the financial scams for which they may be targeted. Recently, my grandmother was contacted by people impersonating a police department and also her grandson, indicating that he was in trouble and in need of a lump sum of money.

She was directed to wrap a large denomination of money and overnight it using a UPS service to a named address. The people (scammers) instructed her to tell no one.

Scared and wanting to aid her grandchild, she drove to the local UPS store on Gooding Avenue, Bristol. She was met by Carmen Medeiros, owner, who handled her request to ship this package overnight. Carmen’s vigilance, attentiveness and compassion alerted her when she observed my grandmother’s body language. At that moment, she knew something was off and contacted the Bristol Police Department immediately.

Officer Barry Carinha, who luckily knew my family, responded. He handled the situation with the utmost care and professionalism. The actions of both Miss Medeiros and Officer Carinha saved the day for my grandmother. With proper communication and instinct, they concluded that she was targeted by scammers and stopped the package’s shipping immediately, returning its contents safely to her.

While I am enraged by the people who take advantage of others, especially the vulnerable and elderly, I am so grateful that good people in this world still exist. A shout-out and huge thank you to these two upstanding citizens who made a difference in our community today. Thank you for your efforts!

Jill Waldman
Bristol