'Something was not right': Big Brothers, Big Sisters CEO alerted of fraudsters outside Walmart

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A strong intuition and a phone call are what helped put a stop to a scam happening right outside of the Walmart Supercenter on Herndon and Ingram avenues on June 10.

"Someone cared enough to contact us, and because of that, we are able to prevent people from getting scammed," says Diane Phakonekham, CEO of Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Central California.

Phakonekham was at a graduation when she received an unexpected call from her office, explaining what someone had reported to them about two men.

"They were carrying a clipboard and had 'Big Brothers, Big Sisters' on it, but they did not have our shirt, so that is where some of the customers realized something was not right," she said. "They were just trying to tell people that they were with our agency and that they needed to raise money for the children, and that broke my heart."

Her immediate reaction was disappointment because she knew that nobody from the non-profit was at the Walmart.

She quickly called a "Big," who is a Fresno police sergeant, for advice and also called the store and talked with a manager who she says took action.

"I said please look at the footage, and they did and they saw them taking money from people, and that is when they asked them to leave the premises," Phakonekham said.

This was the first time in her 15 years with the organization that she experienced an incident like this.

Despite the letdown, she is thankful that someone noticed what was happening and reached out.

She wants to remind everyone that when the non-profit is posted at a business or event, there are a few things to look out for.

"We do the whole nine yards, and that's how you know it's legit and real," she said.

Reminding those who want to give a helping hand that that they're making a difference, supporting thousands of children.

"We are in Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare County, and we cannot do this job without the community's support," Phakonekham said. "We need people to step up and help us help the children that we serve because there is such a need right now, it's heartbreaking."

There is a long waiting list of children waiting to be paired with a "Big."

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