WPD officer prevents elderly resident from losing $10,000 in crypto scam
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington Police Department officer prevented an elderly woman from losing $10,000 after recognizing the warning signs of a cryptocurrency scam while conducting a routine patrol.
According to the Wilmington Police Department, the incident happened on July 27 when the officer stopped at a local gas station for a business check. Inside the store, the officer noticed a woman in her 90s standing at a bitcoin kiosk with thousands of dollars in cash while speaking on her cellphone.
Police said the officer immediately recognized several red flags commonly associated with cryptocurrency scams and intervened before the transaction could be completed.
The officer asked the woman to stop depositing money into the bitcoin machine and took the phone to speak directly with the scammers, preventing the transfer from going through.
Investigators said the woman believed she had been speaking with a technical support company, which instructed her to withdraw cash and deposit it into the bitcoin kiosk.
Because of the officer’s quick response, the victim avoided a significant financial loss and was provided guidance about the scam.
The Wilmington Police Department is reminding residents that scammers often target older adults by pretending to represent technical support companies, government agencies or financial institutions. Victims are frequently pressured to withdraw cash or purchase cryptocurrency as payment.
Police emphasized that legitimate businesses and government agencies will never request payment through bitcoin, gift cards or other forms of cryptocurrency.
Anyone who believes they may be the target of a scam is encouraged to stop communicating with the caller immediately and contact the Wilmington Police Department before sending money or sharing personal information.
