Scams explained
What is the Bitcoin ATM scam?
A caller posing as police, a court, your bank or tech support tells you to withdraw cash and feed it into a Bitcoin ATM, a kiosk found in gas stations and convenience stores. They send a QR code that sends the money to their wallet. Once the cash goes in, it is very hard to get back.
Drawn from 353 news stories in the Elderus archive. Last updated October 17, 2026.
If a message like this reached you, you were right to stop and look it up. These are professional operations, and they reach careful people every day.
What our news archive shows
353 news stories in the Elderus archive mention the Bitcoin ATM scam, the earliest from March 2024. Together they name 49 states. The places named most often: Texas (28), Minnesota (22), Massachusetts (21), Arizona (20) and Washington (20).
What people were asked to hand over
Across the 118 stories with this scam in the headline:
Stories added each month in 2026
The busiest month so far this year was August 2026, with 25 stories.
What does the Bitcoin ATM scam look like?
- Instructions to withdraw cash and drive to a specific gas station, grocery or convenience store.
- A QR code sent by text, with instructions to scan it at the machine.
- A caller who stays on the phone the whole time and tells you what to say if a clerk asks questions.
- A story that your money must be protected, a fine paid, or a warrant cleared.
How does the Bitcoin ATM scam work?
- Many different scams end at a Bitcoin ATM: jury duty calls, tech support pop-ups, fake bank fraud departments, romance and investment scams.
- The QR code is the criminal's wallet address. The cash is converted to cryptocurrency and sent there in minutes.
- Callers often ask for several deposits, sometimes over several days.
How it has shown up in the news
Callers posing as Texas sheriff's deputies told people they had missed jury duty or court and demanded payment through Bitcoin kiosks.
Read the story →In Michigan, police described callers posing as officers who sent QR codes and directed people to gas station crypto ATMs.
Read the story →A Florida gas station owner and staff stepped in during deposits and prevented more than $100,000 in losses.
Read the story →What should I do if I get one?
- No government agency, court or bank asks anyone to pay with a Bitcoin ATM. Hang up and call someone you trust.
- If you made a deposit, keep the receipt. Call the ATM company's number printed on the machine or receipt and ask them to freeze the transaction, then report it to police.
- Some states now limit these machines or require refunds for people who report quickly. Your state's attorney general can say what applies.
Call the bank or card company first, using the number on the back of your card. The sooner they hear, the more they can stop. Then report it. Step-by-step help if you were scammed →
Not sure whether a message is a scam? Paste it into the Scam Checker →
Who do I report it to?
Your state's Adult Protective Services and attorney general take reports too. Find the numbers for Texas, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Arizona, or any state.
Common questions
Can I get my money back from a Bitcoin ATM?
Sometimes. Arizona's attorney general reported helping 35 people targeted by crypto ATM scams recover full refunds under a state law. Your chances are best when you report it quickly and keep the receipt.
Why do store clerks sometimes step in?
Clerks see the pattern often. Our archive includes a Florida gas station whose staff stopped more than $100,000 in losses by asking customers about their deposits.
Sources
- 20 Mass. communities have banned crypto kiosks amid rise in scams - Boston.com boston.com · August 2026
- Albuquerque bans crypto ATMs after scams cost New Mexicans millions - KOAT koat.com · September 2026
- Bitcoin ATM scams cost Tennesseans more than $15M in 2025, and victims are still fighting back newschannel5.com · September 2026
- Attorney General Mayes Helps Nearly Three Dozen Crypto ATM Scam Victims Recover Full ... azag.gov · August 2026
- Ohio BCI returns more than $15000 to victim of crypto ATM scam peakofohio.com · October 2026
How we count
Elderus collects news reports about fraud against older adults every day. A story counts toward this page when its headline or summary describes the Bitcoin ATM scam. Copies of one story syndicated to several outlets count once, and stories that fail our quality checks (no usable summary, video transcripts, coverage outside the U.S.) are left out. States are the ones named in each story's headline and summary. Payment methods come from the stories with the scam in the headline. Monthly counts begin in January 2026 and use the date each story entered our archive. These figures describe news coverage. They do not measure how often the scam happens, since most scams are never reported in the news.