An officer from the Bristol Virginia Police Department (BVPD) stepped in just in time to save an elderly woman from losing $14,000 to a scammer.

The BVPD shared in a news release that authorities in Bristol, Tennessee had issued a Be On The Lookout (BOLO) alert for a woman who had been swindled into withdrawing a large sum of money following scam calls, and was on her way to hand it over at an undisclosed location.

A BVPD officer used knowledge of previous scamming attempts and responded to a financial transaction site.

When the officer arrived, he saw the elderly woman at a Bitcoin machine, “appearing to be in the process of transferring funds,” the BVPD stated.

The BVPD officer immediately intervened and stopped the transaction.

The victim told the officer that a caller had claimed to be from a major online retailer and told the victim about a suspicious purchase.

“Subsequently, the call was handed over to another person claiming to be a federal law enforcement agent,” the release noted. “This impersonator used intimidation tactics, including baseless accusations of severe crimes and threats of detainment, to pressure the victim into taking a considerable amount of money from her bank.”

The BVPD explained that the scammer maintained contact with the victim throughout the incident, including during her time at the bank, and provided detailed instructions on how to send the funds. The scammer also possessed personal information about her.

In total, the BVPD stated the officer prevented the victim from losing $14,000.

The BVPD cautioned the public to remain vigilant against scammers and reiterated that no legitimate law enforcement body or government agency would ever demand money or immediate payment. Authentic law enforcement will never issue threats of arrest for non-payment or request money transfers via cryptocurrency or gift cards.