BRIGHTON, Colo. (KDVR) — La Estrellita has had its doors open in Brighton going on 36 years. But just last week, the popular Mexican spot was the target of a well-thought scam.
“They called our host stand. Our host answered, who is only 15 years old,” said Gina Von Ah, the owner of La Estrellita.
Von Ah said last Thursday, scammers called posing as FedEx and told the hostess they had a delivery coming from her general manager Crystal. She said the scammers even knew several of the employees’ names.
“They told her Crystal had a surprise for our two other employees, whose names they mentioned,” Von Ah said. The “surprise delivery” was intended for the current manager on duty, Von Ah said.
Phone scam asks for money through card, app
Von Ah said the hostess stayed on the phone with the scammers for nearly an hour, while she believed she was trying to help her manager. She said at times during the call, the scammers pretended to be on the other line with her manager.
“They said, ‘Wait a minute, hold on, Crystal is calling right now. Let me answer this and get right back to you.’ Then stated, ‘She’s wondering if you can use your credit card and she will pay you back as soon as she gets here,’” Von Ah said.
The hostess she said attempted to send $1,000 through a third-party app the scammers asked her to download. But Von Ah said the hostess’…
