Cryptocurrency Kiosks Used by Scammers to Facilitate Massive Financial Losses

Cryptocurrency kiosks, also known as Bitcoin ATMs, are being used to facilitate scams across the United States. These machines allow customers to exchange cash for cryptocurrency and are often located in convenience stores and gas stations.

In a recent alert, the FBI noted that its Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 13,460 complaints of fraudulent activity involving cryptocurrency kiosks in 2025, with losses exceeding $388 million. The complaint count from Tennessee was 348 and the dollar losses were $15 million.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports that fraud losses involving cryptocurrency kiosks topped $64 million in the first six months of 2024, a staggering $128 million annualized. Since then, the losses have only grown.

A California couple transferred $845,000 to crooks through a cryptocurrency kiosk following instructions from a fake FBI agent to supposedly protect the money from being seized in an investigation. In another incident, a cashier stepped in and stopped a Kansas woman from transferring $22,800 in cryptocurrency as part of a tech-support scam.