Wilmington Officer Foils Bitcoin Scam Targeting Elderly Woman
A quick-thinking Wilmington police officer saved an elderly woman from losing $10,000 to a bitcoin scam on July 27.
The officer was conducting a routine business check at a gas station when he noticed the woman at a bitcoin machine, holding $10,000 in cash and talking on her cellphone.
Recognizing the warning signs of a cryptocurrency scam, the officer intervened and asked her to stop depositing the money. The woman handed over her phone, and the officer spoke directly to the scammers, preventing the transaction from going through.
The Wilmington Police Department warns that scammers often target older adults by posing as technical support representatives, government agencies, or financial institutions, pressuring victims to withdraw cash or purchase cryptocurrency as payment. The department stresses that legitimate businesses and government agencies will never demand payment via bitcoin, cryptocurrency, or gift cards.