WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – A quick-thinking Wilmington police officer stepped in just in time to save a woman in her 90s from losing $10,000 to a bitcoin kiosk scam.

The Wilmington Police Department said the incident happened July 27 when an officer conducting a routine business check at a gas station noticed the elderly woman at a bitcoin machine. She was holding $10,000 in cash and talking on her cellphone.

Recognizing warning signs of a cryptocurrency scam, the officer intervened and asked her to stop depositing the money. The woman handed over her phone, and the officer spoke directly to the scammers, preventing the transaction from going through.

Police said the woman believed she was speaking with a legitimate technical support company that instructed her to withdraw the cash and deposit it into the bitcoin kiosk.

“The Wilmington Police Department reminds the community that scammers frequently target older adults by posing as technical support representatives, government agencies, or financial institutions,” said the department. “They pressure victims to withdraw cash or purchase cryptocurrency as a form of payment.”

The department said legitimate businesses and government agencies will never demand payment via bitcoin, cryptocurrency or gift cards.

Anyone who suspects they are being targeted should immediately stop contact and call police before sending money.