New Hanover County woman reunites with Wilmington officer who saved her from crypto scam

PORTERS NECK, NC (WWAY) — An 89-year-old New Hanover County woman nearly lost more than $9,000 to a cryptocurrency scam, but an alert Wilmington police officer stepped in before she could make the payment.

Maryann Nunnally was reunited Thursday with Officer Nicholas Morrison, who stopped her from depositing thousands of dollars into a Bitcoin ATM at a local gas station.

The scam began with a message claiming Nunnaly owed $390 to Geek Squad. The scammers then told her they were in trouble with their boss and needed $10,000 to resolve the issue.

Believing the claims, Nunnally withdrew more than $9,000 from her bank account and went to a Bitcoin ATM.

That’s when Morrison spotted her.

“Usually not the type of person I would see operating these bitcoin machines,” Morrison said. “Then as I got closer, I saw the money in her hand and the phone, and the phone to her head and so I kind of put 2 and 2 together of what may have been happening.”

Morrison said Nunnally’s responses raised additional red flags.

“The responses she was giving indicated that it was probably a scam so I asked, ‘Ma’am, who are you talking to?’ I immediately let her know that is not gonna be something that is legit,” Morrison said.

At first, Nunnaly said she was unsure about Morrison’s intentions.

“…You came up on me at that awful machine and I thought, I really thought you were going to arrest me,” Nunnaly said.

Instead, Morrison helped Nunnaly determine what was really happening.

He took her to Best Buy and Geek Squad, where she learned the message was fraudulent and that she did not owe the company any money.

Morrison then accompanied Nunnally to her bank to ensure the money she had withdrawn was returned to her account.

“Officer Morrison was a Godsend,” Nunnally said.

She is so thankful that she invited Officer Morrison to her 90th birthday party on November 4th.

Police say scammers frequently target older adults by impersonating trusted organizations, including technology companies, government agencies and banks.

Authorities warn that legitimate businesses will not demand payment through Bitcoin, gift cards or cryptocurrency.

Officials encourage anyone who receives an unexpected demand for money to stop, verify the information independently and avoid sending payments before confirming the request is legitimate.