Falmouth store clerk, police officer, prevent elderly man from falling victim to Bitcoin scam

FALMOUTH, Mass. — The scammer had his victim right where he wanted him: in a Cumberland Farms store, about to feed almost ten thousand dollars into a machine that would turn that cash into Bitcoin.

In turn, that cryptocurrency would then be transferred to the scammer’s Bitcoin wallet, completing the rip-off.

Only that scammer ran into some interference on his way to the Bitcoin bank — in the form of a cashier at the Cumberland Farms who, through YouTube videos and personal experience, knew a scam when he heard one.

The cashier, who didn’t want to be identified, told Boston 25 News that last Thursday he was working the register when he overheard a speaker-phone conversation coming from the area of the store’s ATMs, which included a Bitcoin ATM.  What caught his attention was the accented voice — and the content of the conversation.

“The scammer on the phone was able to walk him through the process of how to deposit the money and turn it into Bitcoin,” the cashier said.

The customer listening to these instructions was an elderly man, the cashier said. That, along with other things, increased his suspicion.

“I had gotten a call like that before on my phone and I was able to recognize it,” he said. “I suspected it was a scammer when I heard it.”

The cashier offered to help, but the customer said he was all set. That’s when the cashier asked his manager to call police.

Fortunately, a police officer was in the store at that very moment.

Officer Sean Lowe of the Falmouth Police Department had stopped in to the Cumberland Farms to get his pre-shift coffee.

“Officers are always told to be aware of their surroundings and look for suspicious activity wherever it may be,” said Lt. Ryan Hergt, Falmouth Police PIO.

In this case store personnel also alerted Officer Lowe to what they thought was going on. He intervened and was able to stop the transaction — and convince the customer not to move forward.

“I think it’s wrong... it’s terrible,” the cashier said. “Older people don’t have as much knowledge about technology nowadays so it makes them easier prey and that’s what they look for.”

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