Bitcoin ATM Fraud Losses Reach $333.5m For U.S. Consumers In 2025

30th Dec 2025
Bitcoin ATM Fraud Losses Reach $333.5m For U.S. Consumers In 2025 FBI-tracked complaints show consumers, primarily adults over 60, are being directed to crypto kiosks to send irreversible wallet payments to scammers. U.S. consumers reported $333.5 million in losses linked to bitcoin ATMs from January through November 2025, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). The scams surfaced nationwide, often at retail-adjacent kiosks located in convenience stores, supermarkets, and fuel stations. Victims were typically instructed by phone or text to deposit cash and transmit cryptocurrency to external digital wallets. Many transfers were routed to wallets later identified in fraud investigations spanning Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and West Africa, according to 2025 public cybercrime seizure disclosures from international policing agencies. The spike matters now because kiosk networks have grown rapidly alongside broader cryptocurrency adoption. The machines are regulated as money services businesses under FinCEN rules, which require federal registration and suspicious activity reporting under the Bank Secrecy Act. However, no federal law imposes daily cash deposit ceilings at crypto kiosks. Consumer protections, including deposit limits and machine permitting rules, remain state and municipality-dependent. Crypto ATM Fraud And Consumer Risk U.S. consumers reported $333.5 million in Bitcoin ATM scam losses from January through November 2025, up about 33% from 2024’s $250 million total, according to the FBI’s IC3 complaint data. The U.S. has over 45,000 active cryptocurrency cash kiosks placed largely in retail stores, gas stations and shopping centers, enabling near-instant cash conversion to crypto and transfer to external wallets, often in under 5 minutes. In August 2025, FinCEN issued a public alert reminding banks that crypto-kiosk operators are treated as money services businesses under Bank Secrecy Act rules, requiring registration, anti-money-laundering programs and suspicious activity reporting when fraud indicators appear. That same year, the FBI confirmed that QR-code wallet scanning became a dominant scam transfer method, replacing manual wallet entry in many cases and speeding up fraudulent cash-to-wallet transfers. By November 2025, the FBI stated publicly that complaint volumes tied to kiosk fraud were still rising without signs of slowing. In September 2025, the District of Columbia attorney general filed a civil consumer-protection case against kiosk operator Athena Bitcoin, alleging fee nondisclosure and widespread fraud use. The public docket summary cited that 93% of Athena kiosk deposits in D.C. were alleged to be scam-linked, the median victim age was 71, and the median reported loss was $8,000 per scam transaction, including one claim of $98,000 in losses over 19 transfers. Athena Bitcoin issued a public statement denying the allegations and said its machines display fraud warnings and educational notices before users confirm transactions. Consumer organizations, including AARP Fraud Watch, warned in 2025 that scammers often keep victims on calls until transfers are completed, limiting cancellation chances. Bitcoin ATM Fraud Impact And Uneven Protections Adults 60 and older accounted for the largest share of FBI cryptocurrency kiosk complaints in 2025, reflecting a sustained demographic trend in public IC3 summaries. Crypto kiosks convert cash into tokens and push payments directly to blockchain wallet addresses, a transfer design that sits outside bank reimbursement systems. Once broadcast to the chain, the funds cannot be reversed by the kiosk operator, and consumers do not receive card-style chargebacks or automatic fraud repayment. Public legislative trackers confirm 17 U.S. states require kiosk operators to register or hold licenses as money services businesses, enforce fee disclosures, or register machine locations. Most states do not impose enforceable daily cash deposit caps on the machines. In California, Chico preserved a moratorium on new cryptocurrency ATM permits in 2025, according to the city’s public ordinance log, making it one of the few U.S. municipalities maintaining a verifiable permitting freeze. Federal oversight is grounded in FinCEN’s classification of crypto kiosk operators as money services businesses, which triggers Bank Secrecy Act suspicious activity reporting duties. Consumer evidence - receipts, wallet QR codes, transaction hashes, kiosk locations, and originating contact details can be submitted to the FBI IC3 portal or FTC Consumer Sentinel Network, preserving investigative leads. The FTC reported publicly in September 2025 that Bitcoin ATM fraud complaints increased nearly 10-fold from 2020 to 2023 and surpassed $65 million in the first half of 2024, a verified trend that predates the 2025 FBI totals. What’s Next For Victims And Regulators The FBI confirmed $333.5 million in U.S. consumer losses tied to bitcoin ATMs through November 2025, with adults 60 and older most often affected. A civil consumer-protection case filed by the District of Columbia attorney general in 2025 against Athena Bitcoin remains active, according to public docket records, keeping fee transparency and fraud-involvement claims in legal review. At the federal level, FinCEN’s 2025 crypto-kiosk alert continues directing banks to file Bank Secrecy Act suspicious activity reports when cash-to-wallet kiosk transfers show fraud indicators. The guidance remains one of the few nationwide compliance controls governing these machines. The FBI has also confirmed ongoing public fraud advisories into 2026, based on IC3 trend notices, urging consumers to reject crypto-kiosk payment demands tied to impersonation or coercion tactics. Why it matters: Kiosk crypto transfers are irreversible once broadcast to the blockchain, and federal law still does not impose daily deposit caps, leaving consumer protections dependent on state statutes and local permitting rules. The story signals a sustained enforcement push under existing consumer protection laws, with oversight focused on reporting evidence trails, repeat wallets, and operator compliance gaps rather than refund guarantees.