FBI: Bitcoin ATM impersonation scams caused $389M in US losses in 2025, up 58% year over year
Scammers continue to exploit Bitcoin/crypto ATMs as an irreversible payment channel in impersonation fraud. According to the FBI, 13,460 such complaints in 2025 resulted in $389 million in losses, a 23% rise in volume and 58% rise in losses over 2024. Victims over 50 lost more than $302M, and those over 60 accounted for $257.4M. The scam relies on a phone call or fake computer popup in which fraudsters pose as police, government officials, banks or tech support to frighten victims and pressure them to withdraw cash and deposit it into a crypto ATM.
Detalhes técnicos
- Initial contact is an unsolicited call or a popup telling the victim to call a number because their computer is infected.
- Callers impersonate trusted officials, claim the victim's bank account or identity is being used criminally, and say funds must be moved to a 'safe' place.
- Victims are kept on the line and discouraged from consulting friends, family or legitimate authorities.
- Victims are directed to withdraw cash and deposit it at a specific crypto ATM, often scanning a QR code texted by the scammer that sends the funds to a wallet under the criminal's control.
- Crypto transactions have no chargeback, are very hard to reverse, and wallet holders remain anonymous, so recovery is very unlikely.
- Follow-on 'recovery scams' target the same victims, promising to retrieve funds for a fee.
Remediação
- Hang up on unsolicited calls demanding payment via a crypto ATM; no legitimate agency, bank or company requests this.
- Verify claims through official contact details, not numbers given by the caller, and consult a friend or family member.
- Never call numbers shown in popups, unsolicited emails or messages.
- If victimized: stop communicating with the scammers, preserve evidence (receipts, texts, call logs, bank transactions), notify the ATM operator and your bank, and report to local police, the FTC and the FBI IC3.
- Treat anyone offering paid fund recovery as a likely scammer.
Linha do tempo
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FBI: Bitcoin ATM impersonation scams caused $389M in US losses in 2025, up 58% year over year
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Scammers continue to exploit Bitcoin/crypto ATMs as an irreversible payment channel in impersonation fraud. According to the FBI, 13,460 such complaints in 2025 resulted in $389 million in losses, a 23% rise in volume and 58% rise in losses over 2024. Victims over 50 lost more than $302M, and those over 60 accounted for $257.4M. The scam relies on a phone call or fake computer popup in which fraudsters pose as police, government officials, banks or tech support to frighten victims and pressure them to withdraw cash and deposit it into a crypto ATM.
Technical Details
- Initial contact is an unsolicited call or a popup telling the victim to call a number because their computer is infected.
- Callers impersonate trusted officials, claim the victim's bank account or identity is being used criminally, and say funds must be moved to a 'safe' place.
- Victims are kept on the line and discouraged from consulting friends, family or legitimate authorities.
- Victims are directed to withdraw cash and deposit it at a specific crypto ATM, often scanning a QR code texted by the scammer that sends the funds to a wallet under the criminal's control.
- Crypto transactions have no chargeback, are very hard to reverse, and wallet holders remain anonymous, so recovery is very unlikely.
- Follow-on 'recovery scams' target the same victims, promising to retrieve funds for a fee.
Remediation
- Hang up on unsolicited calls demanding payment via a crypto ATM; no legitimate agency, bank or company requests this.
- Verify claims through official contact details, not numbers given by the caller, and consult a friend or family member.
- Never call numbers shown in popups, unsolicited emails or messages.
- If victimized: stop communicating with the scammers, preserve evidence (receipts, texts, call logs, bank transactions), notify the ATM operator and your bank, and report to local police, the FTC and the FBI IC3.
- Treat anyone offering paid fund recovery as a likely scammer.