Officer Foils Crypto Scam, Saves Elderly Woman $10,000
A 90-year-old North Carolina resident narrowly escaped losing nearly $10,000 to a cryptocurrency scam thanks to the quick action of a Wilmington police officer. Mary Ann Nunley received a text message on July 27 that her account with Geek Squad had ended and $390 would be taken out of her account. She called the number provided, which led to hours of back-and-forth with a man who promised to return her money but was trying to steal more.
The scammer told Nunley she needed to take nearly $10,000 to a nearby bitcoin kiosk to fix the situation, but when she arrived at the gas station, the machine was broken. Officer Nicholas Morrison recognized warning signs of a crypto scam and intervened, helping Nunley end the call with the scammer and confirming she had not lost any money.
Morrison took Nunley to Best Buy to confirm the Geek Squad was not involved in taking her money, then drove her to the bank to redeposit her cash. The officer's actions likely prevented a significant financial loss for the elderly woman.