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FBI: Bitcoin ATM Scams Cost Victims $333 Million in 2025

Scammers exploited urgency with bank impersonations, often using AI voices to push irreversible cash-to-crypto transfers.

Overview

  • The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center logged more than 12,000 reports tied to Bitcoin ATM schemes in 2025.
  • Fraudsters frequently posed as banks or companies and, in some cases, used AI-generated voices to coerce deposits at kiosks.
  • People 60 and older bore a heavy toll, with the FTC saying they accounted for 71% of ATM-related crypto losses in the first half of 2024, totaling $46 million.
  • Official data show losses linked to these scams climbed from $78 million in 2022 to $114 million in 2023 before reaching last year’s record.
  • The United States hosted more than 30,000 Bitcoin ATMs in 2024, representing about 81% of global installations.