MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A woman said someone found her credit card and started spending, so she took matters into her own hands.
“I had the card at Sam’s, and then when I got to Kroger, I couldn’t find the card,” said Chantel McKinney. “I got a text message that said someone was at Wild Wings hot wing place on Winchester. I called the place and asked if the person was still there, because my card was being used.”
The woman and McKinney’s card had already left, and minutes later, racked up another charge at AutoZone.
“You feel violated someone is using your card and taking your hard earned money,” she said.
McKinney went to Wild Wings and got the footage of the woman using her card.
She plastered the video on Facebook and asked if anyone recognized her.
Hours later, she got a lead.
“Her mom wrote a comment on the Facebook post and inboxed me,” she said.
McKinney eventually set up a time to meet.
“We met at the Hickory Hill police precinct, and I saw the girl was in the car. She was shaking and crying,” said McKinney.
She said she slowly walked up, and that anger she was feeling changed.
“I figured OK you’ve got two options: you can let her go into the system, which is a hard to get out of, or you can show her kindness, forgiveness and love,” she said.
So McKinney hugged her as that 18-year-old girl apologized and gave the money back.
“I began to explain to her the value and the consequences of taking something that doesn’t belong to you,” she said.
The two then took a selfie, and McKinney posted it on Facebook.
“There are teachable moments, and then there are times where you have to show tough love. I think this was a teachable moment,” she said.