Texas Woman Loses $20,856 to Bitcoin ATM Scammers

A Texas woman has filed a lawsuit against Bitcoin ATM operator Athena Bitcoin after scammers allegedly threatened to arrest her unless she deposited $23,700 into the company's kiosks.

The victim, Meagan Venable, was holding her infant during the incident and feared being taken into custody. She made cash deposits at two Athena Bitcoin kiosks, but only recovered around 12% of her money, leaving her with losses of approximately $20,856.

The lawsuit alleges that Athena Bitcoin's safeguards failed to stop the transactions, which were facilitated by the company's reliance on screen-based warnings and customer attestations. The plaintiffs argue that stronger protections, including transaction holds and additional verification, could have prevented the loss.