On Thursday, June 13, 2024, at 1:00 p.m., the WEST COMM Dispatch Center received a telephone call from a concerned citizen who saw an elderly woman placing thousands of dollars into a Bitcoin ATM in the 2000 block of S. Cherry Lane at a convenience store. The caller believed the woman was likely being scammed based upon hearing the woman speaking to someone through an iPhone. 

Officers responded to the scene and contacted the victim who claimed that she was in trouble with Chase Bank and was following their instructions. The investigation revealed that the suspect arranged for a ride share service to pick the woman up from her residence and transport her to a local Chase Bank to withdraw $40,000 dollars. The suspect then arranged another ride share service to transport the woman to a convenience store with a Bitcoin ATM machine to deposit the money. 

The victim had already deposited $23,900 into the ATM machine prior to the officer arriving. 

“We are extremely grateful for the citizen who recognized these danger signs and contacted us,” said Chief of Police Christopher Cook. “Our supervisor who arrived on scene took control of the situation and confronted the suspect on the phone and prevented the woman from depositing further money. It is sickening that these suspects prey on our most vulnerable community members with these types of frauds."

The department is working with the Bitcoin law enforcement liaison and the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office to recover the woman’s $23,900. The department also plans to recognize the citizen at a future City Council meeting for her assistance. 

The victim was threatened by the scammer that she would be arrested if she did not withdraw $40,000. These are common scams that occur across our country. Fraudsters can also spoof a telephone number, which was done in this offense, where the victim saw “CHASE BANK” on the caller ID. It’s important to note that financial banks will never request withdrawal of funds. 

The dash camera footage, body-worn camera footage, and 9-1-1 call are available for viewing and download by media. (Additional footage is also available if you contact the department). 

Sgt. James Stewart was the sergeant who responded to the call. While the sergeant was frustrated with this scammer, the victim ended up hugging both of the officers and was relieved to find out that this was a scam.

“All I could do is visualize my mom in this case,” said Sgt. James Stewart. “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.”