If an unexpected caller or message tells you to withdraw cash and send cryptocurrency through a Bitcoin ATM to protect your money, fix an account problem, pay a government bill, or avoid arrest, stop. End the contact and verify the claim independently using a phone number or website you find yourself—not contact details or links the person supplied.
Government agencies also call these machines crypto ATMs, cryptocurrency kiosks, or convertible virtual currency kiosks. They can handle Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Kiosks have legitimate exchange uses; the warning sign is someone pressuring you to use one to pay them or “protect” your funds.
How a Bitcoin ATM scam works
The scammer invents a crisis, then presents a cryptocurrency kiosk transaction as the solution. A call, text, email, social message, or pop-up may claim there are suspicious charges, a compromised account, an identity problem, an unpaid utility bill, or a prize waiting. The person may pose as government or law enforcement, a bank or business, or a technology-support representative. Romance scams can also lead to demands for crypto.
After creating fear and urgency, the scammer tells the target to withdraw cash—sometimes from a bank, investment, or retirement account—and go to a particular kiosk. They may remain on the phone, coach what to say, or send a QR code that routes the purchased cryptocurrency to a wallet they control. Once the crypto is transferred, the scammer controls the funds.
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In FTC consumer-report narratives from the first half of 2024, phone calls were the initial contact in about 47% of reports analyzed, online ads or pop-ups in 16%, and emails in 9%. These are estimates from reported cases, not a complete count of scams. The FTC identified government impersonation, business impersonation, and tech-support scams as frequent kiosk-scam patterns. FTC data spotlight, September 3, 2024
Warning signs of a kiosk scam
- An unsolicited caller, message, or pop-up says your money, identity, or account is in immediate danger.
- The person insists you must act immediately or keep the matter secret.
- They tell you to withdraw cash, visit a specific kiosk, scan their QR code, or send crypto to an address they provide.
- They stay on the phone while you withdraw or make the transaction, coach your answers, or ask you to install software or grant remote access.
- They claim to represent a government agency, law enforcement, a bank, brokerage, utility, prize promoter, or technology company and demand cryptocurrency.
The FTC’s rule is direct: “Real businesses and government agencies will never do that – and anyone who asks is a scammer.” In this context, “that” means using a Bitcoin ATM, buying gift cards, or moving money to protect it or fix a problem. FTC data spotlight, September 3, 2024 The agency has also said it will never send consumers to a Bitcoin ATM, tell them to buy gold bars, or demand they withdraw cash and take it to someone in person. FTC press release, March 7, 2024
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What to do if someone tells you to use a Bitcoin ATM
- Stop before paying. Do not withdraw cash, scan a QR code, or send cryptocurrency because of an unexpected call or message.
- End the conversation. Do not use a number, link, or website the caller or sender gives you.
- Verify independently. Contact the bank, agency, or company through its official app, verified website, or phone number you find separately. Ask whether the claimed problem is real.
- Get a second opinion. Talk to a trusted family member, friend, financial professional, or law-enforcement officer before making an unusual transaction.
- Do not trust a supplied wallet address or QR code. A cryptocurrency transfer may happen immediately and can be difficult or impossible to reverse.
The CFTC likewise advises consumers to pause when they receive unusual money-transfer instructions. CFTC, “Pause Before You Pay”
Can you get money back after a Bitcoin ATM scam?
Do not count on a transfer being reversed or reimbursed. Cryptocurrency kiosk transfers are often immediate and difficult or impossible to reverse. Report the incident and preserve records; reporting does not guarantee recovery.
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Save the evidence
Keep the kiosk receipt and any transaction documentation. Record the transaction ID, receiving wallet address, kiosk location, and the phone numbers, email addresses, websites, names or aliases, and messages connected to the demand.
Report the scam
- File a report with your local police department.
- Submit a complaint to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
- Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
The FBI recommends reporting kiosk-related scams to local police and IC3. FBI IC3 public service announcement, May 15, 2026
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What the reported losses show—and what they do not
Different agencies’ figures cover different years and reporting systems, so they should not be treated as one continuous count. All are based on reports, not a complete census of every scam or loss.
| Figure | What it describes | Source and qualification |
|---|---|---|
| 13,460 complaints and adjusted losses of $388,981,267 in 2025 | FBI IC3 complaints involving cryptocurrency kiosks | The FBI’s May 15, 2026 announcement says more than half of complaints involved people over 50, with losses over $302 million. It cautions that a complaint may include other transaction types, so total losses cannot be attributed solely to kiosks. FBI IC3, May 15, 2026 |
| More than $65 million in reported losses in the first half of 2024 | FTC estimates of reported Bitcoin ATM scam losses | The FTC estimated the figure through keyword analysis of consumer report narratives identifying cryptocurrency as the payment method. Unreported cases mean actual harm may be higher. The agency said reported losses had risen nearly tenfold from 2020 to 2023. FTC, September 3, 2024 |
| $10,000 median reported loss in the first half of 2024 | Reported Bitcoin ATM losses | This is not the FTC’s $5,400 median for all cryptocurrency-reported fraud losses in the same period. FTC, September 3, 2024 |
| People aged 60 and over were more than three times as likely as younger adults to report a Bitcoin ATM loss in the first half of 2024 | FTC reporting rates normalized by population size | The FTC also said more than two of every three dollars reported lost to these kiosk scams was lost by an older adult. This is a different measure and year from the FBI’s finding that more than half of 2025 kiosk-related complaints involved people over 50. FTC, September 3, 2024; FBI IC3, May 15, 2026 |
Legitimate kiosk use versus a scam demand
A cryptocurrency kiosk can be used to buy or exchange crypto. The presence of a kiosk alone does not establish fraud. Focus on who is directing the transaction, where the funds are going, and whether you are being pressured.
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- Destination: Is the crypto going to a wallet you chose, or to an address supplied by someone else?
- Control: Do you independently control the destination wallet, or is another person directing where the funds go?
- Pressure: Is someone imposing urgency, secrecy, a script, or a threat?
- Purpose: Is a supposed official, company, or support worker demanding crypto to resolve a bill, account issue, investigation, or threat to your money?
FinCEN’s August 4, 2025 notice discusses kiosk-related scam payments and other illicit-finance risks for financial institutions; it is not consumer legal advice. It cites separate FBI 2024 data: more than 10,956 complaints and approximately $246.7 million in reported victim losses. FinCEN notice, August 4, 2025
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