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Omaha couple Jim and Joyce Gamble came dangerously close to losing $9,000 to a scam involving a fake federal warrant. It all started when scammers, pretending to be federal agents, called up Jim and threatened to arrest him if he didn’t pay up. They instructed the couple to take out the cash and head to a cryptocurrency ATM. Joyce was on the phone with the scammer, about to make the transfer, when a fellow customer overheard and decided to step in.
The good Samaritan flatly told Joyce that she was being scammed, saying, “That’s a scam. A thousand percent a scam. They’re not the cops.” Security footage from the store shows him taking the phone, claiming to be a detective, and confronting the scammer, who immediately hung up. The Gambles were just one button push away from losing thousands of dollars, but thanks to the stranger, they were stopped just in time.
In response to the incident, the Omaha City Council, on the advice of Sheriff Aaron Hanson, has passed an ordinance requiring scam warning stickers on all crypto ATMs. The stickers will be distributed to stores in the coming weeks to help prevent similar scams. Joyce says she’s deeply thankful for the good Samaritan and hopes to meet him someday to thank him personally for saving their life savings.
Source: WOWT