A scam artist attempting to steal money from a Quincy senior was stopped in their tracks with help from Quincy Credit Union.

An entity claiming to be awarding the senior a “Cash Winfall” prize sent an initial check of $4,500 as the first installment of the million-dollar prize, according to the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office. In order to claim the remainder, the senior was asked to write a check in order to cover “processing fees,” that would be picked up at her home. With the help of Quincy Credit Union, the sheriff’s office was able to determine the check was fraudulent.

The Quincy Police and the Sheriff’s Office planned to meet the scam artist at the senior’s home when the scam artist was planning to stop by, the Sheriff’s Office said. When the scam artist caught wind of the operation, he attempted to contact the alleged victim, and then terminated his plan to go to the victim’s home.

“We were fortunate to be able to step in and protect the potential victim, not just from the financial loss, but the threat of a con-artist coming to their home,” Norfolk Sheriff Jerry McDermott said in a statement. “As a part our visits to “Councils on Aging” throughout the county, we talk to our seniors about all the scams out there, just like this, and clearly we must continue to be vigilant in educating the public, and intervening whenever possible.”