06/18/2025
🚨 **SCAM ALERT – PLEASE READ & SHARE** 🚨
We’re sharing something deeply upsetting in the hopes of protecting others in our community. Last night, one of our young team members was the victim of an elaborate and disturbing phone scam while working at one of our restaurants.
A caller posed as law enforcement and claimed that another employee had been detained for drinking and driving. They had personal details, used names, and even described our team member to make the story seem real. They manipulated our employee into believing she couldn’t speak to anyone and that her phone was being tracked — ultimately scaring her into transferring over $1,500 in cash.
This wasn’t just a random scam — this person had intimate, local knowledge and used fear tactics targeted at someone young and doing her best. She was completely traumatized by the experience. They also knew who was working at the restaurant, we feel this is a local person targeting young female employees.
We’re sharing this because **this scammer is still active** in our area, and we know from law enforcement others have been targeted but felt too embarrassed to speak up.
**Please:**
* Talk to your employees, your kids, and your coworkers.
* Never hand over or transfer cash or personal information based on a phone call.
* If someone tries to isolate you or threaten you into secrecy, it's a scam.
* If something doesn’t feel right — **trust your gut and speak to someone immediately.**
We’ve filed a police report and are working with local authorities to track this person down. We would appreciate the Walton County Sheriff's Office, Florida being proactive in getting this scam alert out to local business owners. This person has already scammed multiple young women recently, we should all be on high alert and educate one another.