The FBI warns that scammers are increasingly steering victims to cryptocurrency ATMs, also called kiosks, and using QR codes to direct payments to the scammers’ wallets. The QR code does not by itself steal cryptocurrency: the danger is being pressured into authorizing a payment to an address supplied by someone you do not trust. Stop, verify any claimed institutional contact independently, and report suspected fraud promptly.
How cryptocurrency ATM scams work
The FBI’s November 4, 2021 public service announcement describes a common sequence: a scammer creates fear, urgency, intimacy, or the promise of a prize, then coaches the target through a cryptocurrency purchase and transfer. The target may first withdraw money from a bank or other financial account, buy cryptocurrency at a physical kiosk, and scan a QR code that fills in the recipient’s wallet address. A scammer may stay on the phone or in contact by message and give instructions until the payment is sent. FBI/IC3: Cryptocurrency ATM and QR Code Scam Warning.
Impersonation and urgent threats
A scammer may pose as a government agency, law enforcement, a legal office, a utility, or another familiar organization. The false claim may be designed to frighten someone into acting immediately or to make a cryptocurrency payment seem necessary.
Romance fraud and false intimacy
Someone met online may build a relationship and then use trust or dependency to persuade the target to send cryptocurrency. An established-feeling relationship is not proof that the person or payment request is legitimate.
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A supposed lottery or prize may come with a condition: pay fees first to receive the winnings. The payment demand is the scam, not a legitimate step to claim a prize.
What the QR code does—and what it does not do
A QR code can make a wallet address easier to enter by auto-populating the recipient field at a kiosk. That convenience can help a scammer direct a victim’s payment to the scammer’s wallet. Scanning a QR code is not automatically malicious; QR codes have legitimate uses. The key questions are who supplied the code, where it sends the payment, and whether someone is pressuring you to act.
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Before authorizing a transfer, stop if the recipient address came from an unfamiliar person or if you cannot independently confirm who controls it. Do not treat a code as safe just because it looks official or is presented as a required step.
What the FBI’s latest kiosk figures show
In a May 15, 2026 release covering calendar year 2025, the FBI said IC3 received 13,460 complaints involving cryptocurrency kiosks and recorded adjusted losses of $388,981,267 in those complaints. The FBI reported increases of 23% in complaints and 58% in losses compared with 2024. More than half of the complaints involved people over 50, with losses exceeding $302 million. The 2025 IC3 Annual Report rounds the national figures to 13,460 complaints and $389 million in losses. FBI/IC3 2025 Annual Report; FBI/IC3 May 15, 2026 kiosk data release.
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These are complaint figures involving kiosk use, not a precise estimate of losses caused by kiosks alone: the FBI says a complaint may include other transaction types. The agency also notes that IC3 statistics are point-in-time assessments that may change after further analysis or additional information. They describe reports received, not every scam or loss that occurred.
How to protect yourself before paying
- Do not send cryptocurrency to a person you have only spoken with online, even if the relationship feels established.
- Do not follow an unfamiliar person’s instructions to scan a QR code and pay through a cryptocurrency ATM or kiosk.
- If a caller claims to represent a company where you have an account, end the call and contact the organization through a number or channel you independently know is legitimate. Do not use contact details supplied by the caller.
- If a kiosk operator says a transaction appears fraudulent and advises you to stop, stop or cancel the transaction.
- Do not let urgency, threats, secrecy, or a promised prize override your own verification of the recipient and payment request.
The FBI’s 2021 guidance states: “Do not follow instructions from someone you have never met to scan a QR code and send payment via a physical cryptocurrency ATM.” FBI/IC3 public service announcement, November 4, 2021.
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What to do if you already sent cryptocurrency
- Stop further payments. Do not send more money to unlock a supposed refund, recover the original payment, or satisfy another fee.
- Save records. Keep kiosk receipts and any transaction documentation. Save messages, emails, phone numbers, websites or apps used, and a timeline of events.
- Report the incident to IC3. Include what happened and, if available, the cryptocurrency address, amount and type, date and time, transaction hash or ID, kiosk location, subject phone numbers, email addresses, domains or aliases, and relevant communications. The FBI says to report even if you do not have transaction details. FBI/IC3 guidance for cryptocurrency scam victims.
- Be wary of recovery promises. The FBI warns victims to beware of people who claim they can recover lost funds. Do not trust a guarantee of recovery or pay an unsolicited recovery service.
Can cryptocurrency sent to a scammer be recovered?
Recovery may be difficult. The FBI’s 2021 warning says a recipient may take ownership of cryptocurrency immediately and move it onward. That is a warning about the challenge of recovery, not a claim that every transfer is impossible to recover or a quantified recovery rate. Preserve the transaction details and report promptly; do not assume a service promising guaranteed recovery is legitimate.
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