Rande Gerber.Photo: Ari Perilstein/Getty
A California veteran is beyond grateful forRande Gerberafter the businessman went out of his way to ensure that he’d have a memorable holiday season.
Earlier this month, military veteran Benjamin Gardner toldKABCthat he had thousands of dollars stolen after being scammed through a text message that appeared to be from his bank.
“It was like slow motion. I knew something bad had happened,” Gardner explained to the outlet. “To be robbed under the guise of Wells Fargo… I think that is such trickery.”
Gardner claimed he initially received a text, seemingly from Wells Fargo, notifying him of a $202.08 charge on his account, according to KABC.
The veteran confirmed he did not make the charges, and soon received a phone call from a number, reportedly with the same ID as Wells Fargo.
“I said ‘Well, how do I know that it’s you?’ and he said ‘Check the number,'” Gardner recalled to KABC.“I bounced it off the websiteand it for sure said Wells Fargo.”
“He got me to log in, and I assume that he was looking exactly at the numbers in my bank account because he knew exactly how much to extract from the checking and the savings,” he added to the outlet.
“I can’t imagine other veterans who are already maybe having some mental challenges going through that around the holidays,” Gardner told KABC, adding that he was “very depressed” following the scam.
But all that changed recently when Gerber, 59, caught wind of his story.
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The businessman — who owns nightlife companies and spirit brands and launched Casamigos Tequila withGeorge Clooney— reached out toKABC, asking them to give Gardner an envelope on his behalf.
As Gardner later discovered, inside the envelope was a handwritten letter from Gerber and a generous check covering his losses — plus some!
“It made me mad and sad that people take advantage of others, especially a Navy vet that served his country,” Gerber wrote in his note, which Gardner read it aloud to KABC. “I hope this makes your holiday a bit brighter and maybe others will hear your story so that it doesn’t happen to other vets. Thank you for your service. PS: Take the extra [money] and buy something nice for yourself and your family.”
With the funds now restored in his bank account, Gardner said he plans on sharing it with others in hopes of spreading more acts of kindness.
“I’m actually part ofUnion Rescue Mission,” Gardner explained to KABC. “What I’m going to do is, because something was stolen from me, I’m going give back to some people.”
“I’m going give back to theUnion Rescue Mission, which is an organization nonprofit which houses people in downtown L.A. for food and for Christmas,” he added. “This right here will give me the ability to make someone else happy, so I’m going to pay it forward.”
source: people.com
