TROY, Ill. – Police and residents in Troy, Illinois, are warning of a woman using a little boy in a criminal scam.
A victim of the scam says he doesn’t care about the money he lost. He’s worried about that little boy.
“It’s a sad day that they use a little boy,” said Tom Eilers, owner of ADR Towing in Troy.
Around 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, a boy who appeared to be between 6 and 8 years old walked into his office selling peel away Domino’s Pizza coupon cards, Eliers said.
The cards read “delivering the dough, $10” on one side, with 16 peel-off “Buy 1, Get 1 Free” stickers on the other.
Actually, they’re buy one, get nothing.
“I thought to myself, a little boy wouldn’t know what he’s doing when he’s selling these,” Eilers said.
His surveillance cameras show the boy trying to sell additional cards to one of his workers.
Multiple residents and business owners report the boy—wearing a pink baseball jersey—going door-to-door. A woman seen with the boy was driving a silver Audi, Eilers said.
City authorities posted a scam alert on Facebook, saying the scam’s been reported in surrounding cities, with the boy saying he was selling the cards to raise money for his baseball team.
“Very polite, very quick to answer, but good answers,” Eilers said. “He didn’t hesitate on anything you asked him.”
Company officials confirm victims are trying to use the cards at Domino’s locations in Troy, Maryville, Edwardsville, Mt. Vernon, and Salem, Illinois.
There are legitimate “Buy 1, Get 1” Domino’s fundraising cards being sold. They have the slogan, “Slice the Price” and a redemption code on the front, lower left-hand corner.
The peel-off cards without codes are bogus.
People say the real crime here is exploiting a child.
“I think that’s a pretty low thing to do. Children are sacred, in my opinion,” said Dan Mainer of Edwardsville.
“(The boy’s) been trained professionally how to answer questions to con you out of your money. It’s awful. It’s a shame,” Eilers said.
He fears it may be coming to your town.