Wilmington Police Officer Foils Cryptocurrency Scam Targeting Elderly Woman

An 89-year-old woman in New Hanover County nearly lost over $9,000 to a cryptocurrency scam, but thanks to an alert Wilmington police officer, she was able to recover her money.

Maryann Nunnally had withdrawn the funds from her bank account after receiving messages claiming she owed $390 to Geek Squad.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.

Officer Nicholas Morrison spotted Nunnally at a local gas station using a Bitcoin ATM and recognized the suspicious activity.

'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 to her head...I kind of put 2 and 2 together of what may have been happening.'

Morrison helped Nunnally determine that the message was fraudulent and accompanied her to Best Buy and Geek Squad to verify. He also went with her to the bank to ensure the money was returned.