Authorities in Missouri say a quick-thinking gas station employee and police officer helped stop an elderly woman from sending tens of thousands of dollars to a scammer posing as a government agent.
85-year-old Fran Bates said she received a call from someone claiming her bank account had been compromised and that her money needed to be “secured” through a Bitcoin transaction. The scammer then instructed her to withdraw large sums of cash and deposit them into a Bitcoin ATM.
When Bates began inserting $100 bills into the machine at a local gas station, clerk Myndi Jordan noticed her distressed behavior and alerted police.
“She was my angel. She rescued me,” Bates said of Jordan.
Officers arrived moments later and stopped the transaction before the scammer could receive the funds. Investigators later confirmed the phone call was part of a sophisticated cryptocurrency fraud scheme targeting seniors.
According to the FBI, over $250 million was stolen through Bitcoin ATM scams in 2024, more than double the amount reported the previous year.
Police are urging the public—especially seniors—to be cautious of any unsolicited calls demanding immediate payment or money transfers through cryptocurrency kiosks.
