Source Fort Worth Star-Telegram
A sharp-eyed citizen’s quick thinking saved an elderly North Texas woman from losing thousands of dollars in a Bitcoin scam, according to police.
Officers in White Settlement received a call from a concerned bystander who saw the woman depositing large amounts of money into a Bitcoin ATM at a convenience store in the 2000 block of South Cherry Lane.
Overhearing the woman on her phone, the caller suspected she was being scammed.
When officers arrived and found the woman, she told them she thought she was in trouble with Chase Bank and was merely following their instructions. The investigation revealed that the scammer had arranged a ride-share service to transport the woman from her home to a local Chase Bank branch, where she withdrew $40,000, and then to the convenience store with a Bitcoin ATM, White Settlement police said in a news release.
Unfortunately, she had already deposited $23,900 into the machine.
The police department is currently working with the Bitcoin law enforcement liaison and the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office to recover her money.
Dash-camera video, body-worn camera footage, and audio from the 911 call caught the entire situation.
The scammer made threats to the woman, saying she would be arrested if she did not withdraw $40,000, police said. A common method of committing this kind of fraud involves spoofing the caller ID of an organization to show a name like Chase Bank.
Sgt. James Stewart, the responding officer, expressed his frustration with the scammer but was relieved to see the victim safe. “All I could do is visualize my mom in this case,” Sgt. Stewart said in the news release. “I wish we could find this guy and place him behind bars for a very long time because he is probably doing this to other people.”
In a heartwarming moment, the victim hugged both officers, expressing her relief and gratitude for their intervention.
The citizen who intervened will be recognized at an upcoming City Council meeting.
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