An 18-year-old from Marblehead, Massachusetts, is getting praise for stepping in to stop a bitcoin scam. Addy Mooney noticed an older woman acting oddly at a store, on the phone and fumbling with a bitcoin ATM. Something felt off, so even after leaving, she followed her gut, called the police, and ran back to check on the woman.
Addy found her in the parking lot and gently asked to see her phone. What she saw were romantic messages and step-by-step instructions for sending $19-thousand in bitcoin. The woman had been texting with a man she’d never met for five months, thinking it was a real relationship. Luckily, the ATM hadn’t worked. Police arrived shortly after and contacted the woman’s adult daughter.
The teen was given a junior officer badge sticker and praised for her quick thinking. She credits her scam-spotting skills to listening to the “Endless Thread” podcast with her family. A recent high school grad, Addy plans to keep spreading awareness about online scams when she heads to Colgate University.
Source: MARBLEHEAD CURRENT