MV Capital - 90-Year-Old Avoids Nearly $10,000 Crypto Scam Thanks to Wilmington Officer

Mary Ann Nunley of Porters Neck reunited with the officer who intervened at a bitcoin kiosk and prevented a major financial loss

A Porters Neck resident nearly lost almost $10,000 to a cryptocurrency scam on July 27 before a Wilmington police officer stepped in at a bitcoin kiosk outside a local gas station. The woman, Mary Ann Nunley, later reunited with the officer who protected her savings.

How the Scam Unfolded

The incident started with a text message that claimed Nunley’s Geek Squad account was ending and that $390 would be withdrawn from her account. She called the number provided to cancel the service and request a refund. What followed was hours of conversation with a man who promised to return her money while working to extract a much larger sum.

The scammer eventually instructed Nunley to withdraw nearly $10,000 in cash and deposit it into a nearby bitcoin kiosk to resolve the supposed problem. She drove to a gas station that housed such a machine, only to find it out of order.

Officer’s Intervention

While Nunley stood at the broken machine, Wilmington Police Officer Nicholas Morrison approached her. He warned her not to insert any money and explained that she was the target of a scam. Morrison helped her end the call with the scammer and verified that she had not lost any funds.

The officer then accompanied Nunley to a Best Buy store to confirm that Geek Squad had no involvement in any account activity. Afterward, he drove her to her bank so she could safely redeposit the cash she had withdrawn.

“And this nice police man came up to me and said, ‘Don’t put your money in that machine; you’re being scammed.’”Mary Ann Nunley

Morrison’s actions ensured Nunley left the situation with her money intact. Local police have advised the public never to use crypto ATM machines when pressured or directed to do so by an unknown individual.

Emotional Reunion

On August 20, nearly a month after the incident, Nunley and Officer Morrison met again. The 90-year-old woman expressed deep gratitude for the officer’s help.

“The first thing I wanna do is hug your neck! And anytime you wanna be my grandson, you come on and be my grandson, because I love you!”Mary Ann Nunley

Morrison has received an invitation to attend Nunley’s 90th birthday celebration later this year. Nunley described the officer as kind and caring throughout their earlier encounter and the subsequent reunion.

The case underscores the importance of caution when receiving unexpected messages or calls that demand immediate financial action involving cryptocurrency or cash withdrawals at public kiosks.