
A local Prince Albert business was spreading some holiday cheer on Christmas Eve.
Members of Lions Security Incorporated were giving away gift cards along Central Avenue and in the Cornerstone shopping area at McDonald’s and Tim Horton’s.
Gift cards were given out to the homeless along Central Avenue and to elderly people in Cornerstone. Osagie “Leo” Ekhaguere is the president of Lions Security. He says that they wanted to help those who are less fortunate.
“We have observed that the vulnerable people, this time of festival, we should share time with them, because some people are actually going through a lot of situations that they cannot tell some people about and that alone brings a lot of depression. We want to make people feel comfortable, feel that kind of liveliness in this kind of season. Let’s engage with them, let’s share the moment with them. It’s a time to share love, it’s a time to share that kind of beautiful things that we have, that they don’t have.”
With each gift card given out to an elderly person, Lions also handed out information pamphlets on how to prevent being scammed online. According to Ekhauguere, scams have cost Canadians upwards of 500 million dollars in 2024. He says older people are more likely to be scammed then younger people.
“If you look at the people that are mostly affected, they are the elderly people because they are not very used to technology. You have to explain over and again to them that this is what you should avoid. Don’t click these and don’t give us this information. You have to continuously tell them and you repeatedly say this to them until they get it. If you’re not there to continually tell them, they’re going to just forget and when they forget, anything could happen. Before you know it, most of them have lost money. Once money is lost, to get it back is always very, very difficult.”
The pamphlet contained seven bullet points which read: Recognize Common Scams, Protect your Personal Information, Stay Vigilant Online, Spot the Red Flags, Verify Before You Trust, Use Reliable Resources and Trust Your Instincts