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THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023 Page 13 Remembering the Kennedy Assassination A brush with history: From US Treasury worker to Secret Service agent, local business owner recalls a day with First Lady Jackie Kennedy By Tara Vocino ABC Cigar co-owner Dan Moore was 32 years old when he worked as deputy administrative assistant to the comptroller of the currency when he was assigned to protect First Lady Jackie Kennedy after the late President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Moore says he still remembers it like it was yesterday. As the country – and literally, the world – fell into shock and mourning of the loss of the leader of the Free World, the capital was on edge as the government sought answers to the murder of Pres. Kennedy. Moore recalls sitting in his offi ce at the main U.S. Treasury building in room 311. “Every day I was in town, several Treasury offi cials would come by at 1:00 p.m.,” Moore said at his Revere Street cigar store on Tuesday. “We’d go across the street at the Washington Hotel for lunch.” When they didn’t show up, he kept on working. At 1:30 p.m., the door opened and his fellow Treasury workers stood silent. It was then he learned that President Kennedy had been assassinated, Moore said. “Needless to say, not much was said at lunch.” Several days later, Moore got a phone call from the chief of the U.S. Secret Service, who wanted to see him in his offi ce immediately to discuss a special assignment. He was told to meet with David Powers, was Special Assistant and assistant Appointments Secretary to President Kennedy. “We had a working relationship prior to the assassination when I had to go the White House to see Powers,” Moore said. “He was very close to the president.” When Moore would want to go to the White House, he’d call the Secret Service to take him directly. The first time he met with Moore in his offi ce at the White House, Powers closed the doors to his inner offi ce, and what he was going to tell him was not to be discussed with anyone. “She’s coming tomorrow to present an award for bravery to the Secret Service agent, Clint Hill, who was assigned to the [President’s] car in Dallas,” Moore said. “They gave me her schedule.” They wanted Moore to meet Moore had to go out in the hall to find him. Finally, everyone was together to present the award to Agent Hill, who had jumped on the president’s car during the assassination in order to protect the First Lady. Following the ceremony, Moore walked her back to the elevator. Later that afternoon, the Chief of Secret Service came down to see him and said he did a nice job. For a couple hours, Moore was a Secret Service agent at the U.S. Treasury offi ce in 1963. He spoke to Jackie briefl y and her sister. ABC Cigar co-owner Dan Moore holds a photo of himself at the age of 32, as a member of the U.S. Treasury Dept., when he was assigned to protect First Lady Jackie Kennedy following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. (Advocate photo by Tara Vocino) the First Lady at the elevator at a certain time. “She’s yours,” they said. “I asked, “Why me?” His answer was that Moore knew so many people in the building. Moore’s concern was that he had no formal training as a bodyguard in order to protect the First Lady. They weren’t going to make any announcement of her arrival, so no one would know she was there until then. On the day of her arrival. Moore went to the elevator banks and took control of all access inside the building, which shocked many of the government workers inside. Suddenly, everything just stopped. “The elevator door opened,” Moore said. “She stepped out with her sister, and I greeted her.” They walked down to the main conference room. The Secretary of the Treasury wasn’t there to present the award, so “That’s something that doesn’t happen every day of the week,” Moore said. “It was very quiet – you could hear a pin drop.” Moore said, “Good afternoon, madam” and “This way, please” to the First Lady. He remembered making small talk with the First Lady before and after the award ceremony, adding that she was focused, polite and very calm in spite of all that had happened to her in Dallas just a week or so before. After all these years, Dan says it’s just something one can never forget. A moment in time – a moment in history. BBB Study: Growth of gift card scams causes retailers to innovate solutions A s the holiday shopping season grows near, consumers should be extra alert to scams. More people reported gift card fraud to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Scam TrackerSM this year, with a 50% increase compared to last year. Online shoppers were hit the hardest. Since BBB issued its 2021 study, “Gift Card Payment Scams, BBB reveals why scammers love gift cards,” scammers have doubled down on gift cards as a method to steal money from consumers while the public embraces digital versions of the cards. For years, scammers preferred a gift card as payment because it’s treated like cash. If a victim is convinced to hand over the 16-digit code and PIN, the money is instantly in the scammer’s pockets. With the introduction of mobile wallets and virtual gift card compatibility over the years, gift cards are more convenient, allowing money to be shuttled across the world in a matter of seconds. Some industry partnerships between retailers and law enforcement have had success in stopping scammers. One initiative started the process of returning more than $4 million in stolen funds to consumers. However, scammers remain resourceful. How do gift card scams work? Scammers persuade individuals to purchase gift cards by impersonating online sellers, pet breeders, government or sweepstakes offi cials and others. They frequently change their methods of getting consumers to pay with cards instead of money, making them hard to stop. In most instances, scammers ask people to buy gift cards and send them the bar code and PIN on the back. Gift cards are essentially cash, meaning anyone who has the code can spend the amount on the card. Sometimes scammers ask for a popular brand (Apple Inc., Google, Target Corporation, Walmart, Best Buy), and other times they ask for a general-use card, such as a Visa Vanilla or American Express gift card. In both cases, scammers want the card number. Some scams involve fraudsters going to stores where gift cards are sold, recording the numbers from the cards and attempting to steal the funds after the cards are loaded. There have also been instances of outright forgery of cards, like one involving a “lab” bust in Canada earlier this year. However, most reports to BBB are the result of fraudsters impersonating sellers, businesses or governmental agencies in order to convince consumers to send them gift cards. Persuading victims that they have an unpaid tax bill, owe fi nes or have a hacked personal account are all common ruses used as part of gift card scams. Losses from scams involving gift cards tend to be much higher than in most other payment methods, ranking third behind wire transfers and cryptocurrency, according to a 2022 BBB Institute for Market Trust report. Gift cards are treated like cash, which makes stolen funds hard to recover. Last year no consumers reported to BBB Institute that they recovered money sent in a gift card scam. What are scammers doing with gift cards? While gift cards might seem harder to spend than cash, fraudsters are able to spend stolen gift cards quickly through networks of associates working in both North America and other countries. BBB reviewed court fi lings and victim reports and talked with experts to track how these scams operate from start to fi nish. In many cases, gift card fraud involves a complex, multi-national network preying upon vulnerable populations. At least 15 reports to BBB since 2020 involve FBI impersonation, with many other government agencies being used for ruses as well, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security. Another dozen pretended to be from Microsoft Corporation, one of many businesses impersonated in gift card scams. Online shoppers are at high risk for encountering gift card scams, according to BBB data. Technology companies like Apple and Google are popular gift card sources for scammers because they can purchase pricey items like computers and resell them later. Millions of dollars are lost on these types of scams each year, according to Federal Trade Commission data. BBB recommends state and federal law enforcement agencies continue collaboration with retailers and add additional programs to help consumers recover funds. State regulators should work with federal law enforcement to develop best practices and create a coalition to share best practices and go after international scammers. Stopping gift card scams Experts interviewed by BBB say the instantaneous transfer of funds from one party to another enables fraudsters to act fast, either spending the money or shuffl ing the money onto a new gift card to obscure their crime. Recently, retailers most aff ected by gift card scams began partnering with authorities to sniff out the digital trail left behind during gift card purchases to catch scammers in the act. Public education remains the number one method of deterrence, said Martha Weaver, a member of the board of directors for the Retail Gift Card Association, because alert consumers can often spot a scam before any money changes hands. SCAMS | SEE Page 18

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