$20 'distraction scam' on the rise in grocery store parking lots: What you need to know

Yahoo

03-05-2025

RESEDA, Calif. - A total stranger approached Irvin Nelson of Reseda outside an Albertsons and handed him a $20 bill, claiming Nelson had dropped it.
"This is your $20. I found it. I'm giving it back to you," Nelson recalls the woman saying. "This should be good for both of us."
It turned out to be anything but good.
Within minutes, nearly $6,000 had been drained from Nelson and his wife's bank accounts.
"This has to stop," Nelson says. "How many other people is this happening to?"
He's one of several victims of the so-called "$20 distraction scam" — a con that's been playing out in Los Angeles grocery store parking lots.
Two weeks ago, FOX 11 News first reported on the growing trend.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Criminals using $20 'distraction' tactic to scam victims
Another victim, Sarah was targeted at a Ralph's just a few miles from where Nelson was scammed.
"My heart sank because my debit card wasn't there," she says.
In both cases, the victims say they were approached by a man and a woman just after completing a purchase.
Here's how the scheme works: The suspects get close enough in line to observe a shopper entering their debit card PIN.
Then they follow the victim outside, drop a $20 bill, and use the confusion to swipe the card — often unnoticed.
"I had no idea she took it," Nelson says. "I had no clue until I saw my ATM card was gone."
The thieves then made large withdrawals from Chase Bank — using ATMs and even in-person transactions with tellers.
Nelson says $5,980 was taken from his accounts.
He and Sarah are now questioning how the bank allowed such large transactions without checking identification.
"If you go on Chase's website, their own protocols say anything over $5,000 requires ID," Nelson says. "Why wasn't that done?"
Adding insult to injury, both say Chase has refused to refund the losses, citing the fact that the suspects knew their PINs — which the bank claims could indicate authorized use.
"I think it's absolutely ridiculous," Nelson says. "I kept asking them if they've looked at the video footage. That bank is covered in cameras."
Chase told FOX 11 News that it is reviewing both cases.
Nelson isn't convinced.
"What is there to investigate? How about reviewing the footage and seeing it wasn't me who withdrew the money?"
Police reports have been filed, but there's been little progress.
Grocery stores and Chase Bank have not released surveillance video, citing the need for a subpoena.
The suspects are described only as a man and a woman, possibly Eastern European, both speaking with heavy accents.