Texas Cop Intercepts Large-Scale Bitcoin ATM Fraud

A police officer stopped an ongoing fraud by an individual impersonating a Chase Bank employee in White Settlement, Texas. An elderly woman was trying to use a Bitcoin ATM to deposit $40,000.

A concerned person called the White Settlement Police Department (WSPD) on June 19. After listening in on the elderly woman’s phone chat with the offender while she was transferring a substantial amount of cash into the Bitcoin ATM, the caller became suspicious of a fraud.

According to the WSPD, the victim was threatened with arrest if she did not deposit the funds. This is a common tactic used by pig butchering scammers. The victim said her caller ID displayed “Chase Bank,” convincing her the caller was a legitimate bank official.

The scammer arranged a ride service to take the woman to a local Chase Bank branch, where she withdrew the funds. She was then taken to a Bitcoin ATM at a convenience store and instructed to deposit the cash.

Collaborative Efforts to Recover Funds

Police dashcam footage showed an officer responding to the call and intercepting the conversation. Despite the officer’s intervention, the scammer persisted in trying to convince the victim to complete the transaction. Unfortunately, she had already deposited $23,900.

Local authorities are collaborating with government officials to recover and return the funds to the victim. Sergeant James Stewart, the responding officer, stated, “All I could do was visualize my mom in this case. […] 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.”