Crypto ATMs
Scammers Are Sending Victims to Bitcoin ATMs With Bags of Cash. Losses Jumped 58% in a Year
The machines in gas stations and convenience stores have become a favorite cash-out point for fraudsters.
They sit in gas stations, convenience stores and malls across the country: kiosks where you feed in cash and receive cryptocurrency. For scammers, they are close to perfect. Cash goes in, crypto goes out to a wallet the criminal controls, and it is extremely hard to get back.
The FBI logged 13,460 complaints involving crypto ATMs and kiosks in 2025.
Reported losses reached $389 million — a 58% increase from the year before, with complaints up 23%.
How victims end up at the machine
The setup is usually a story that creates panic: a fake bank fraud department, a fake government agent, or a fake tech support worker who says your accounts are compromised. The caller tells you to withdraw cash, often stays on the phone while you drive to a kiosk, and sends a QR code to scan. That code is the scammer's wallet.
Victims are often told not to tell bank tellers why they are withdrawing money, because the bank is supposedly "part of the investigation." That instruction alone is a giveaway.
Who gets hit
The FBI's data shows these machines are a particular vulnerability for older Americans, who reported billions in crypto-related losses last year.
The rule to remember
- No government agency, bank or legitimate company will ever ask you to pay with a crypto ATM.
- If someone is on the phone guiding you to a kiosk, hang up — it is a scam every time.
- If you already paid, contact the kiosk operator using the number on the machine, then report at ic3.gov.