A local man narrowly avoided losing $1,000 to an elaborate phone scam on Monday, thanks to the quick thinking of local bank employees who intervened just in time.

According to a Crossville Police Department incident report, a local man was targeted on July 13, 2026, by scammers posing as Amazon security and fraud prevention representatives.

The ordeal began around 10:08 a.m. when the man received a call from a woman identifying herself as “Katherine Wells.” The victim claimed there were multiple fraudulent charges on his Amazon account totaling nearly $9,000.

He was then transferred to a man calling himself “Edward Norton” from the “Amazon Fraud Department.” The suspect gave a fake badge number, strictly instructed the victim not to discuss the matter with anyone, and claimed that detectives would be dispatched to his home the following day.

To “resolve” the issue, the caller instructed him to purchase gift cards.

Following the scammer’s instructions, the victim drove to the Walmart at Obed Plaza, where he purchased two Apple gift cards valued at $500 each in two separate transactions.

Fortunately, before handing over the gift card numbers to the scammers, the victim stopped at the Regions Bank in Crossville. Recognizing the classic hallmarks of a spoofing scam, alert bank employees immediately warned him that he was being targeted by fraudsters.

Scam Warning: Legitimate companies like Amazon will never demand payment or “resolution” via gift cards, nor will they instruct customers to keep investigations a secret.

Following the advice of the bank staff, the victim went directly to the Cumberland County Justice Center at approximately 3:17 p.m. to file a report with the Crossville Police Department.

Patrol Officer Braxdon King inspected his phone, noting a barrage of incoming spoofed calls received over a three-hour window.

Because the victim had not yet shared the gift card numbers with the scammers, he was able to keep his money.