Portsmouth police were called to Atomic Employees Credit Union after staff reported concerns about possible elder financial abuse.
The call came in around 2:30 p.m. at the Scioto Trail branch.
An employee told police an older customer had been coming into the credit union with several other people and that his account activity had become unusual.
According to the police log, the customer withdrew $65,560 from his account between January and July.
The employee said that was not normal activity for the customer.
Credit union staff reported the concern to Atomic’s legal advisers, and the account was frozen. Staff also reported the situation to Adult Protective Services.
The credit union asked that two people connected to the situation be barred from the bank.
According to the log, a legal adviser asked the customer if he needed police. The customer reportedly said no and indicated it was not a good idea.
An officer said police would attempt to follow up with the man to see if he had anything to report.
No criminal report was filed at that time.
Elder financial exploitation can be difficult to prove, especially if the person is technically making the withdrawals themselves. But sudden large withdrawals, new “friends” showing up at the bank, pressure from others, fear of asking for help, and changes in normal banking habits are all red flags.
Banks and credit unions are often the first to spot something wrong.
In this case, the credit union froze the account, contacted Adult Protective Services, and called police.
No one had been charged in the information provided.
