MARION – The Marion Police Department says in the past two weeks, it has received several reports of a scam that appears to be targeting senior citizens.

According to a Marion Police press release, reports indicate that one to two males, possibly of the Middle Eastern or Arabic descent, will watch people as they checkout from a self-checkout station at larger retail stores. They will watch as people enter their PIN into the station, then distract them by getting the shoppers attention and telling them they dropped a $20 bill on the floor. When the shopper diverts their attention to the floor to look for the $20, the suspect or suspects will take the debit/credit card out of the station and quickly leave the area. On one occasion, the suspect followed the shopper out to their vehicle and attempted to use the “money on the ground” ruse.
                
Police says even though the suspects appear to be of Middle Eastern descent, they are fluent in the English and Russian languages.

Please be aware of your surroundings and try to cover the pad on the station when entering your PIN.

If you happen to find yourself in this situation, call the Marion Police Department at 618-993-2124.