Bristol, VA Officer Prevents $14K Scam Loss for Local Woman

BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL) — An officer with the Bristol Virginia Police Department (BVPD) prevented an elderly woman from losing $14,000 to a scammer with almost no time to spare.

According to a news release from the BVPD, police in Bristol, Tennessee had issued a Be On The Lookout (BOLO) alert for a woman “who had withdrawn a large sum of money due to scam calls and was [en] route to deposit it at an unknown location.”

A BVPD officer used knowledge of previous scamming attempts and responded to a financial transaction site.

When the officer arrived, he saw the elderly woman at a Bitcoin machine, “appearing to be in the process of transferring funds,” the BVPD stated.

The BVPD officer immediately intervened and stopped the transaction.

The victim told the officer that a caller had claimed to be from a major online retailer and told the victim about a suspicious purchase.

“The call was then transferred to another individual who identified themselves to be a federal law enforcement agent,” the release states. “This imposter used scare tactics, including false accusations of serious crimes and threats of arrest, to coerce the victim into withdrawing a substantial amount of cash from their bank.”

According to the BVPD, the scammer kept communicating with the victim through the whole ordeal, including while she was at the bank, and gave instructions on how to send money. The scammer also had knowledge of her personal information.

In total, the BVPD stated the officer prevented the victim from losing $14,000.

The BVPD warned the public to be wary of scammers and reminded people that no law enforcement agency or government entity will ever demand money or immediate payment. Legitimate law enforcement will also never threaten arrest if payment is not sent or ask people to transfer money via cryptocurrency or gift cards.